LIVINGSTONS 
COMPANION 


-MARY- 
DILLON 


LIBRARY 

UNlVt!'    >TY  OF 
CALIFO    N,A 

SAN  DIEGO 


-ps 

3501 


MISS  LIVINGSTON'S 
COMPANION 


The  most  enchanting  little  figure  I  have 
ever  looked  upon 


MISS  LIVINGSTON'S 
COMPANION 

A  LOVE  STORY  OF  OLD  NEW  YORK 


BY 

MARY  DILLON 

Author  of  "The  Rose  of  Old  St.  Louis,' 
"In  Old  Bollaire,"  etc.,  etc. 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 
E.  A.  FURMAN 


NEW  YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 

1911 


Copyright,  1911,  by 
THE  CENTURY  Co. 


Published  April,  1911 


TO 

M.  D.  C.  ANDL.R.C. 

WHOSE  LOVE  AND  DEVOTION 
MAKE  ALL  MY  DAYS  A  SONG 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAQI 

i  WHERE  THE  GENTLE  AVON  FLOWS 3 

ii  AN  INTERESTING  PARTY  BOARDS  OUR  SHIP  AT 
LE  HAVRE 20 

in  A  GLANCE  THAT  HAUNTS  ME 31 

rv  I  PRACTISE  MY  FRENCH  AND  DISCOVER  MY  PAINS 

ARE  NEEDLESS *    .    .    40 

v  THE  LITTLE  LION 52 

vi  PESTILENCE  AND  STORM  GREET  MY  ARRIVAL  .  60 

vii  I  MEET  A  WIT 70 

vm  THE  SHADOW  OF  A  COMING  EVENT 83 

ix  AN  AMAZING  MEETING 97 

x  I  MAKE  A  FAITHFUL  FRIEND 104 

xi  I  ENTER  INTO  THE  SHADOW 120 

xn  THE  GREEN  MOREEN  CHAMBER 129 

xm  IN  THE  OCTAGON  KIOSK 145 

xiv  MR.  LA  FORCE  MAKES  AN  INSINUATION.  .  .  .  158 

xv  ON  THE  GREAT  TIDAL  RIVER 176 

xvi  A  LETTER  FOR  THE  EARLY  MAIL 192 

xvii  HOPE  RIDES  WITH  ME  TO  MONTGOMERY  PLACE  .  200 
xvin  DESPAIR  RETURNS  WITH  ME  TO  CLERMONT  .  .  207 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

xix  I  DISCOVER  WHY  Miss  DESLOGE  BEGGED  ME  TO 

STAY  IN  CLERMONT 220 

xx  THE  SWEETS  OF  ADVERSITY 232 

xxi  MR.  HAMILTON  MAKES  Two  WAGERS    ....  239 

xxn  MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS 260 

xxiii  ON  THE  TRAIL 286 

xxiv  WE  CAPTURE  THE  CHEST  AND  AN  OWL  SCREECHES  299 

xxv  THERE'S  MANY  A  SLIP 311 

xxvi  BEHIND  A  CLOSED  DOOR 328 

xxvii  THE  LETTER  R 342 

xxvin  I  WEAR  MY  HAT  IN  THE  PIT 357 

xxix  A  LITTLE  ESQUIMAU 368 

xxx  CAPTAIN  SKINNER  REAPPEARS 383 

xxxi  MIGHTY  IN  DEATH 401 

xxxii  THE  ADORABLE  Miss  LIVINGSTON  .  417 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  most  enchanting  little  figure  I  have  ever  looked 

upon Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGK 

I  said  good-by  to  her  with  a  bursting  heart     ....  28 

''You  know  my  father,  at  least  by  proxy" 80 

''Fine!"  he  shouted  as  we  swept  by  him 116 

I  was  silent  for  a  long  time 216 

We    saw   him  seated  by  the  spring,  a  huge  savage 
covering  him  with  a  rifle 312 

"Let  the  toast  pass" 340 

"You  will  never  forgive  me" 430 


MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 


MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

i 

WHERE  THE  GENTLE  AVON   FLOWS 

I  HAD  been  sad  enough  when  I  said  good-by  to  my  father  on 
the  dock  at  Greenwich.  This  voyage  to  America  was  none 
of  my  seeking,  and  I  verily  believed,  as  I  watched  the  green 
shores  slipping  away  on  either  side  and  my  father's  erect  figure, 
crowned  by  the  fine  head  of  iron-gray  curls  (all  his  own,  for  he 
scorned  to  wear  a  peruke)  growing  dim  in  the  distance,  I  verily 
believed  I  was  leaving  my  heart  behind  me  in  green  and  merry 
England;  and  the  prospect  of  the  two  years  before  me  was  as 
dull  and  colorless  as  the  leaden  skies  settling  like  a  pall  over  the 
city  and  breaking  into  thin  wreaths  of  mist  around  Sir  Chris 
topher's  distant  dome. 

But  my  sadness  was  not  entirely  for  leaving  my  father.  I 
loved  my  father,  and,  though  he  could  be  stern  enough  on  occa 
sion,  we  had  been  good  comrades  with  more  interests  in  common 
than  most  fathers  and  sons  of  my  acquaintance.  I  had  not 
disgraced  him  at  his  old  college  in  Oxford;  of  my  prowess  in 
cricket  and  at  the  oars  he  had  been  justly  proud;  I  had  passed 
my  Smalls  and  my  Mods  with  credit  and  had  even  thought  of 
going  in  for  a  First  at  the  Greats,  much  to  his  delight.  But 
my  father  and  I  were  at  outs  just  now,  on  a  very  vital  point, 
and  there  was  no  longer  freedom  and  good-fellowship  to  be 
found  in  our  intercourse  —  nothing  but  a  miserable  constraint 
that  we  both  felt  only  time  and  distance  could  remove.  For  it 
was  there  in  Oxford,  walking  down  the  High,  that  I  had  first 

3 


4  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

seen  Peggy  Wolverton;  and  to  have  seen  her  was  to  have  the 
whole  world  change  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  What  were 
fathers,  or  tutors,  or  reading,  or  going  in  for  Schools,  or  even 
training  on  the  Isis,  or  bowling  in  Christ  Church  Meadows, 
compared  with  the  bliss  of  sitting  in  the  Sheldonian  and  watch 
ing  Peggy  play  Lady  Teazle,  and  catching  a  smile  from  her 
scarlet  lips  and  a  glance  from  her  sparkling  eyes  meant  for  me 
alone. 

For  two  blissful  weeks  my  tutor  knew  me  not,  and  even  my 
beautiful  chambers  in  Merton,  the  most  perfect  example  of  the 
Elizabethan  in  Oxford,  which  had  been  my  father's  before  me, 
seldom  saw  me.  I  did  spend  an  hour  or  two  of  the  night  in 
them  in  restless  slumber  and  blissful  dreams,  and  at  least  three 
times  a  day  I  paid  them  a  flying  visit  to  see  that  my  hair  was 
brushed  and  tied  anew,  that  face  and  hands  were  immaculate; 
in  short,  that  I  was  in  such  fresh  and  splendid  array  as  befitted 
the  presentation  of  myself  before  my  goddess.  For  when  I  was 
not  sitting  in  the  play  or  hanging  around  the  stage  door,  I  was 
treading  on  air  as  I  walked  beside  the  divine  Peggy  from  the 
theater  to  The  Eoebuck;  or  I  was  spending  my  quarter's  allow 
ance  and  mortgaging  my  next  one  on  late  suppers,  where  I 
pledged  Peggy's  health  in  old  Morley's  choicest  Madeira;  or  I 
was  blissfully  strolling  with  her  down  Addison's  Walk  or 
through  the  Meadows ;  or  still  more  blissfully  punting  her  lazily 
up  the  Cher;  or  most  blissfully  of  all,  sitting  beside  her  in  her 
untidy  room  at  the  Eoebuck,  holding  her  little  hand  and  looking 
ardently  into  her  bright  eyes. 

I  thought  then  that  they  looked  love  into  mine  in  return ;  I  'm 
not  quite  so  sure  of  it  now.  It  may  be  that  it  pleased  Peggy  to 
have  a  good-looking  young  baronet  —  I  do  not  think  my  glass 
deceived  me  as  to  the  good  looks,  nor  that  I  was  unduly  vain  to 
credit  myself  with  a  modicum  of  them  —  it  may  be  that  it 
pleased  her  to  have  this  young  dandy,  this  scion  of  one  of  the 
oldest  and  richest  baronies  of  England,  dangling  at  her  heels; 
and  no  doubt  she  was  more  willing  to  accept  the  title  in  futuro 
of  Lady  Marchmont,  which,  in  my  lordly  way,  but  trembling 
also  with  eagerness  and  youthful  bliss,  I  assured  her  should  be 


hers  as  soon  as  I  could  get  my  father's  consent ;  or,  failing  that, 
should  be  hers  without  it  as  soon  as  I  came  of  age. 

I  had  always  been  proud  of  my  title,  a  baronet  in  my  own 
right  through  my  mother.  I  could  not  remember  the  day  when 
the  servants  had  not  called  me  "  the  little  Sir  Lionel."  Now 
there  may  be  many  little  "  Lords  "  in  England,  but  there  are 
not  many  young  men  that  can  be  called  "  Sir "  while  their 
fathers  are  still  living.  "  And  please  God,"  I  often  said  to  my 
self,  "  may  it  be  a  long  day  before  I  change  '  Sir  Lionel '  to 
'  Lord  Marchmont,'  for  no  young  man  in  England  could  have 
a  better  father  than  mine."  And  so  Peggy,  no  doubt,  was  clever 
enough  to  know  that  with  or  without  my  father's  consent  she 
could  be  Lady  Marchmont  some  day. 

Whether  the  fates  were  unkind  or  otherwise,  Peggy's  en 
gagement  in  Oxford  lasted  but  two  weeks,  and  though  the  com 
pany  went  no  farther  than  Stratford  for  their  next  stop  it  seemed 
to  me  that  the  whole  wide  world  lay  between  me  and  Peggy,  and 
I  lived  only  for  the  end  of  the  week  when  the  old  coach  made 
one  of  its  tri-weekly  trips  to  Stratford  Saturday  afternoon,  re 
turning  Monday  morning.  I  lived  only  for  these  Sundays  spent 
with  Peggy,  floating  on  the  Avon  as  we  had  floated  on  the  Cher, 
and  pouring  out  my  soul  to  her  in  the  sonnets  Mr.  Shakespeare 
had  written  on  that  very  spot.  I  think  I  spent  most  of  my 
hours  between  Monday  noon  and  Saturday  noon  in  conning  his 
verses  to  have  them  at  my  tongue's  end  by  Sunday,  for  I  did 
not  doubt  in  my  heart  that  that  mysterious  love  of  his,  to  whom 
the  sonnets  were  written,  was  Peggy's  very  counterpart:  her 
"  mourning  eyes,"  her  "  black-arched  brows,"  her  "  scarlet  lips," 
were  Peggy's  own. 

I  have  always  suspected  my  tutor  of  giving  my  father  a  hint 
of  how  matters  were  progressing  with  me,  for  into  this  beautiful 
spring  idyl  my  father  walked  unannounced  one  day,  greatly  to 
my  consternation.  It  was  Saturday  morning  and  I  had  ordered 
a  cold  and  early  luncheon  in  my  rooms  and  was  making  an  elab 
orate  toilet  in  Peggy's  honor,  hurrying,  lest  by  some  mischance 
I  should  be  late  for  the  start  from  the  Mitre.  I  knew  that  with 
the  first  stroke  of  Great  Tom  on  the  noon  hour,  Gleason's  long 


6  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

lash  would  curl  and  snap  round  the  ears  of  his  leaders  and  the 
four  big  bays  would  roll  the  heavy  coach  lightly  over  the  stones 
of  the  High  and  I  would  miss  my  chance  of  spending  Sunday 
with  Peggy  if  I  were  not  in  my  accustomed  seat  by  Gleason  on 
the  box. 

I  could  never  have  believed  that  the  sight  of  my  father  could 
give  me  so  little  pleasure.  I  tried  to  think,  while  I  was  shaking 
hands  with  him,  in  an  embarrassed  and  half-hearted  way,  I  fear, 
what  excuse  I  could  make  for  running  off  from  him  immedi 
ately;  for  the  thought  of  disappointing  Peggy  who,  I  had  no 
doubt,  was  ardently  and  impatiently  expecting  my  arrival  in 
Stratford,  did  not  occur  to  me  for  a  moment.  But  I  soon  made 
up  my  mind  that  the  only  honest  way  was,  as  the  American 
philosopher  says,  also  the  best  policy:  I  must  make  a  clean 
breast  of  it  to  my  father,  for  he  was  much  too  shrewd  a  man  to 
be  deceived  by  any  halting  excuses,  even  if  I  had  been  willing 
to  make  the  attempt.  On  the  whole  it  would  be  rather  a  relief  to 
have  it  over,  for  the  confession  was  bound  to  come  some  time, 
and  the  sooner  it  was  made  the  sooner  I  could  hope  to  claim 
Peggy  —  my  father's  consent  being  a  necessary  preliminary. 
Therefore,  while  mentally  anathematizing  old  Hardwick,  to 
whom  I  was  sure  I  was  indebted  for  this  visit,  I  plunged 
boldly  in. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  sir/'  I  said,  inwardly  quavering 
but  outwardly  bold,  "  though  I  could  have  wished  I  might  have 
known  of  your  coming  in  time  to  put  off  an  important  engage 
ment  in  Stratford  which  compels  my  leaving  on  the  noon 
coach." 

"  An  engagement  in  Stratford  !  "  exclaimed  my  father,  in  real 
or  pretended  astonishment.  "  Pray,  what  business  takes  you  to 
Stratford,  my  boy?" 

"  I  have  promised,  sir,  to  spend  Sunday  there  with  Miss  Wol- 
verton,"  I  answered  steadily  enough,  though  feeling  the  red 
flood  rushing  to  my  temples. 

"Miss  "VVolverton!  Not  Peggy  Wolverton,  the  actress?" 
And  then  answering  his  own  question  before  I  had  time  to  re 
ply  :  "  No,  of  course  not !  The  divine  Peggy  is  nearer  my  age 


than  yours.  You  were  just  getting  into  your  first  small  clothes 
when  Peggy  was  setting  the  town  ablaze  with  her  beauty  and 
her  wit." 

Now  I  had,  at  times,  a  faint  suspicion  that  Peggy  might  be 
a  year  or  two  older  than  I  (which  I  said  to  myself,  stoutly, 
mattered  not  at  all  in  love),  but  that  there  could  be  any  such 
difference  in  age  as  my  father  intimated  I  knew  to  be  impossible. 
Either  my  father  was  exaggerating  the  matter  for  his  own  pur 
poses,  or  my  Peggy  must  be  the  other  Peggy's  daughter.  But 
as  I  had  not  liked  my  father's  familiar  way  of  speaking  of  her, 
and  liked  still  less  his  uncomfortable  suggestion,  I  answered 
stiffly : 

"  Doubtless,  sir,  't  is  another  Miss  Wolverton." 

"  Oh,  doubtless,"  agreed  my  father.  "  But  what  have  we  here, 
Lionel?  Is  this  the  remains  of  breakfast  or  the  beginnings  of 
luncheon  ?  " 

Whereupon  I  pressed  my  father  to  partake  of  my  cold  mutton 
and  sent  my  scout  for  another  tankard  of  ale,  and,  being  by  now 
fully  dressed,  I  joined  him  at  the  table  and  began  to  feel  more 
at  ease  as  I  busied  myself  with  the  duties  of  hospitality.  I  was 
proceeding  to  explain  to  him  that  I  should  be  back  on  the  re 
turn  coach  Monday  morning,  that  I  hoped  he  would  occupy  his 
old  rooms  while  I  was  gone,  and  that  no  doubt  among  the  dona 
he  would  find  some  old  acquaintances  to  make  the  Sabbath 
hours  pass  pleasantly,  when  my  father  interrupted  me : 

"  That 's  all  very  well,  but  I  came  to  see  you,  sir,  and  since 
you  seem  to  think  it  impossible  to  postpone  your  visit  to  Strat 
ford,  how  would  you  like  to  have  me  go  with  you  ?  " 

Now  I  would  like  it  not  at  all,  and  for  the  moment  I  was 
inclined  to  give  up  my  visit  to  Peggy  and  stay  at  home  with  my 
father,  as  I  well  knew  it  was  my  duty  to  do.  My  father  saw 
my  hesitation  and  added  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  as  if  he  well 
understood  the  cause  of  it: 

"  I  can  visit  Mr.  Shakespeare's  tomb,  I  suppose,  or  hold  dis 
creet  converse  with  mine  host  of  the  Eed  Horse  while  you  go 
boating  on  the  Avon  with  Miss  Wolverton.  And  we  will  have 
the  journey  over  and  the  journey  back  in  which  to  discuss  some 


8  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

weighty  matters,  for  the  consideration  of  which  I  am  come  to 
Oxford." 

The  kindly  twinkle  reassured  me  and  I  hastened  to  declare 
myself  delighted  with  the  prospect  of  having  him  for  a  fellow 
traveler,  but  that  I  was  ready,  also,  to  give  up  my  proposed 
jaunt  if  he  preferred  it.  He  would  not  hear  to  that  and  having 
by  this  time  disposed  of  our  mutton  we  hurried  over  to  the  Mitre 
to  learn  if  there  might  be,  by  chance,  a  vacant  place  on  the  coach 
for  my  father.  By  great  good  luck  there  were  two,  given  up 
not  an  hour  before,  the  landlord  of  the  Mitre  said,  and,  though 
I  did  not  suspect  it  at  the  time,  I  have  wondered  since  if  Hard- 
wick  had  not  had  them  reserved  by  prearrangement  with  my 
father.  Of  course  I  gave  up  my  box  seat  with  Gleason  and  sat 
by  my  father,  and  for  the  first  half  of  the  way,  while  we  were 
rolling  at  a  pretty  pace  over  the  beautiful  Oxfordshire  and 
Warwickshire  roads,  the  hawthorn  hedges  all  abloom,  the  pop 
pies  beginning  to  show  gleams  of  scarlet  among  the  young  corn, 
the  birds  singing  in  the  leafy  lanes  and  my  heart  beating  fast, 
half  with  joy  at  the  thought  of  seeing  Peggy  and  half  with  fear 
at  the  remembrance  that  the  weightier  part  of  my  confession 
was  still  unmade  —  that  I  had  not  yet  told  my  father  that  I 
wished  to  marry  Peggy  —  for  the  first  half,  as  I  said,  my  father 
made  no  mention  of  the  matters  he  had  come  all  the  way  from 
Devonshire  to  discuss  with  me. 

We  followed  the  windings  of  the  silvery  Cher  as  far  as  Ban- 
bury,  where  we  descended  from  the  coach,  while  the  horses  were 
changing,  and  made  a  hasty  supper  at  the  old  Eed  Lion,  princi 
pally  on  the  cakes  and  ale  for  which  Banbury  is  famous.  The 
shadows  were  lengthening  as  we  climbed  into  our  places  once 
more,  and  as  we  left  the  Cher  at  the  cross  roads  where  the  old 
cross  used  to  stand  —  so  Gleason  once  told  me  and  I  now  told 
my  father  —  and  as  we  plunged  into  the  cool  and  shadowy 
glens  of  Edge  Hill  Mountains,  my  father  cleared  his  throat  in 
an  ominous  fashion  and  I  knew  my  time  was  come. 

"  My  son,"  he  began,  "  war  has  been  declared,  and  the  Light- 
foot  Greys  are  ordered  to  Portsmouth." 

My  heart  was  in  my  mouth  in  an  instant. 


WHERE  THE  GENTLE  AVON  FLOWS  9 

"  War  declared !  "  I  cried,  and  "  Ordered  to  Portsmouth  !  " — 
all  in  the  same  breath.  I  hardly  knew  which  was  the  greater 
news.  "We  had  not  heard,  sir,  in  Oxford,"  I  added  with  a 
guilty  feeling  that  I  had  been  so  absorbed  in  Peggy  I  had  only 
half  read  my  Times  of  late,  and  had  like  to  clean  forgot  that 
war  was  pending. 

"  I  fancy  that  there  are  some  in  Oxford  better  posted  than 
you,"  my  father  answered  soberly,  "  or,  perhaps,  more  deeply  in 
terested  in  the  affairs  of  their  country.  But  it  is  not,  as  yet, 
a  matter  of  general  information.  The  Times  will  have  it  on 
Monday,  but  I  have  had  my  early  news  from  your  uncle,  the 
duke." 

"  Then  I  am  not  to  stay  for  the  Greats,  I  suppose,  sir,  nor 
Commem.  ?  "  I  asked,  trembling  with  an  excitement  that  would 
have  been  all  pure  joy  if  it  had  not  been  for  Peggy.  For  the 
duke  had  promised  me  a  captain's  commission  in  the  Lightfoot 
Greys,  which  formed  part  of  his  own  command,  and  to  be  or 
dered  to  Portsmouth  meant,  of  course,  to  be  ordered  on  ship 
board  also,  and  off  to  the  seat  of  war,  wherever  that  might  be. 
It  would  have  been  all  pure  joy,  as  I  said,  but  —  what  was  to 
become  of  Peggy?  Therefore  my  father's  next  words  gave  me 
a  momentary  relief. 

"  No,  the  duke  insists  you  must  go  up  for  the  Passes  and 
take  your  three  taps.  That  is  my  desire  also.  We  both  wish 
to  see  you  a  full-fledged  B.A." 

"  But,  sir,"  I  stammered,  being  equally  divided  in  my  mind 
between  relief  and  disappointment,  "  will  not  the  Lightfoot 
Greys  have  sailed  by  that  time  ?  " 

My  father  cleared  his  throat  once  more. 

"  The  duke  also  thinks,  and  here  I  agree  with  him  again,  that 
you  are  too  young  to  hold  a  captain's  commission  in  war  times. 
He  says  the  late  war  lasted  fifteen  years  and  this  is  like  to  be  as 
long  —  there  will  be  plenty  of  time  for  you  to  win  your  spurs 
later  and  plenty  of  captain's  places  to  be  filled  from  those  left 
vacant  by  the  fortunes  of  war." 

My  father  seemed  to  expect  me  to  interrupt  him  here,  and  he 
hurried  on,  either  to  give  me  no  chance  or  because  he  knew  that 


10  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

what  he  was  about  to  say  would  be  especially  distasteful  to  me. 

"  "We  have  both  decided,  in  family  council,  that  the  thing  you 
need  is  two  years  in  a  foreign  land,  where  you  may  learn  to  rely 
on  yourself,  and  where  you  may  find  opportunities  for  adventure 
that  will  prove  the  best  preparation  for  a  soldier's  life.  The 
duke,  therefore,  has  given  me  letters  for  you  to  his  friend  Mr. 
Livingston  of  New  York  and  the  Hudson.  With  such  an  in 
troduction  you  will  see  the  best  of  the  New  World  society  and 
I  have  particularly  asked  Mr.  Livingston,  also,  to  throw  any 
chances  for  adventure  in  your  way  that  may  seem  desirable." 

"  Have  asked  him  !  "  I  exclaimed  quickly.  "  Then  you  have 
already  written  him  ?  "  For  his  use  of  the  past  tense  had  struck 
painfully  on  my  ears.  Were  the  arrangements  all  made,  the 
articles  signed  and  sealed  without  so  much  as  consulting  me? 
Was  I  not  to  be  permitted  to  decline  this  offer  of  a  trip  to 
America,  if  I  so  desired? 

"Yes  'have,'"  said  my  father  dryly.  "The  letters  to  Mr. 
Livingston  went  on  the  last  packet,  a  week  ago." 

I  was  silent  so  long  that  my  father  began  to  feel  some  com 
punctions,  I  think.  He  could  not  know,  of  course,  that  it  was 
of  Peggy  I  was  thinking;  that  I  was  trying  to  screw  my  cour 
age  up  to  complete  my  confession,  and  that  I  was  resolving  that 
if  I  could  take  Peggy  with  me  to  America  I  would  go,  but  other 
wise,  not  a  step. 

"  Does  the  plan  displease  you  ?  "  my  father  asked  more  gently. 
"We  thought  it  best  that  you  should  sail  as  soon  after  Com 
memoration  as  possible,  since  war  is  threatening  and  there  is  no 
knowing  how  soon  the  highway  of  the  sea  will  be  blocked  to  all 
traffic.  We  had  no  time,  therefore,  to  consult  you  if  our  letters 
were  to  catch  the  first  packet  out,  and  it  was  necessary  they 
should  if  we  were  to  have  an  answer  before  time  for  you  to 
start." 

It  was  now  my  turn.     I  began  firmly: 

"  You  have  asked  me,  sir,  whether  the  plan  displeases  me. 
It  is,  of  course,  a  very  great  disappointment  not  to  receive  the 
captain's  commission  I  had  so  long  counted  upon,  and,  naturally, 
the  disappointment  is  so  much  the  greater  since  there  is  a  pros- 


WHEKE  THE  GENTLE  AVON  FLOWS  11 

pect  of  seeing  actual  war.  But  that  is  a  matter  for  my  uncle  to 
decide  —  the  commission  is  his  to  give  or  to  withhold.  I  do 
not  think,  sir,  that  it  is  a  matter  which  belongs  to  him  to  decide 
whether  or  not  I  shall  be  exiled  to  America  for  two  years.  In 
deed,  sir,  it  is  a  matter  on  which  I  think  I  should  have  been 
first  consulted,  and  I  still  hope  that  the  arrangements  have  not 
gone  so  far  that  I  may  yet  decline  the  honor  intended  me." 

"  The  arrangements  are  completed,"  said  my  father  sternly. 
"  You  sail  the  last  of  July.  Remember,  sir,  it  is  still  two  years 
till  you  are  your  own  master." 

I  was  appalled  at  my  father's  harshness  —  I  had  never  before 
encountered  it.  But  it  angered  me  also.  We  occupied  the  two 
seats  in  the  rear  entirely  to  ourselves  and  by  using  common 
caution  we  need  not  be  overheard  by  our  fellow-travelers  in  the 
discussion  of.  matters  so  extremely  private  and  personal  as  ours 
had  been.  But  in  my  anger  I  threw  caution  to  the  winds. 

"  I  have  some  rights,  sir,  if  I  am  not  of  age !  "  I  exclaimed 
bitterly.  "  And,  moreover,  I  am  under  a  solemn  engagement  to 
marry  a  most  charming  and  estimable  young  woman.  I  cannot 
go  to  America." 

My  raised  voice  caught  the  attention  of  two  or  three  in  front 
and  they  turned  to  look  at  me.  I  hardly  think  they  understood 
my  words,  but  their  turning  back  brought  me  to  my  senses  and 
I  added  in  lower  tones  and  with  a  more  submissive  air : 

"  I  hope,  sir,  you  will  not  insist." 

My  father  lowered  his  voice  also. 

"  Engaged  to  be  married,  Lionel,  my  boy  ?  "  he  asked  in  his 
old  kindly  tones.  "  Tell  me  all  about  it.  That  may  put  a  new 
face  on  the  matter.  Is  it  to  Miss  Dufour  ?  " 

I  was  softened  by  my  father's  words  and  his  return  to  his  old 
manner,  but  I  liked  not  the  mention  of  Miss  Dufour.  It  had 
been  a  cherished  plan  of  the  family  that  Rosamond  Dufour  and 
I  should  marry  when  we  came  of  suitable  age.  Our  estates  ad 
joined  and  our  parents  had  been  friends  in  their  youth;  but 
Rosamond  had  been  orphaned  when  she  was  so  young  that  1 
had  only  hazy  remembrances  of  my  childhood's  playmate.  She 
had  been  sent  to  a  convent  on  the  Loire  and  afterwards  to 


12  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

stay  with  some  of  her  grand  French  relations  and  be  polished 
and  finished  in  the  society  of  the  gay  capital.  It  was  ten  years 
since  I  had  seen  her  and  my  most  distinct  memory  of  her  was 
of  a  freckled  face  making  me  a  saucy  moue,  and  then  long  arms 
and  legs  going  like  a  windmill  and  red  curls  floating  on  the 
breeze  as  she  flew  from  me,  scaling  the  high  wall  that  separated 
the  gardens  at  Clover  Combe  Court  from  the  park  and  sitting 
perched  on  the  top  for  a  moment  like  a  saucy  squirrel,  kicking 
her  little  heels  and  grinning  wickedly;  and  then,  as  I  started  to 
climb  after  her,  dropping  to  the  other  side  of  the  wall  and  away 
through  the  park  like  the  wind.  She  was  only  seven  and  I  was 
nine,  and  I  hated  to  be  beaten  at  running  and  climbing  by  a 
girl.  But  I  hated  more  to  lose  my  playmate  and  so  I  stood  on 
the  wall  and  called  after  her  angrily : 

"  Rosamond  Defour,  you  are  a  naughty  girl !  If  you  don't 
come  back,  I  '11  never  speak  to  you  again !  " 

But  she  did  not  stop,  nor  turn,  and  as  I  saw  her  fast  dis 
appearing  among  the  Clover  Combe  beeches  I  called  again,  but 
this  time  entreatingly : 

"Rosie,  Rosie,  come  back!  and  you  can  play  with  my  long 
bow."  For  it  was  because  I  would  not  let  her  have  my  most 
precious  possession,  the  bow  which  my  uncle  the  duke  had  given 
me,  that  she  had  called  me  "  mean  "  and  made  a  face  at  me  and 
then  run  away  from  the  anger  she  saw  she  had  aroused. 

I  had  not  seen  her  since,  for  she  set  out  for  Paris  the  next 
day,  and  I  remember  feeling  as  my  father  spoke,  a  fleeting  won 
der  as  to  the  kind  of  looking  young  lady  she  had  grown  to  be, 
but  proudly  sure  that  her  freckled  face  and  red  hair  could  never 
compare  with  the  raven-black  curls  and  flashing  dark  eyes  and 
rosy  cheeks  of  my  Peggy.  It  took  scarcely  a  moment  for  that 
wonder  to  flit  through  my  mind,  and  I  answered  my  father  with 
no  apparent  hesitation : 

"  No,  sir,  it  is  not  Miss  Dufour ;  it  is  Miss  "Wolverton." 

"  Miss  Wolverton !  "  exclaimed  my  father  angrily,  and  then, 
as  if  he  had  determined  to  be  patient  with  me,  he  went  on  more 
gently :  "  I  hope  you  have  not  been  over-hasty,  Lionel.  Mar 
riage  is  a  grave  matter,  requiring  much  deliberation,  and  surely 


WHERE  THE  GENTLE  AVON  FLOWS  13 

it  is  one  on  which  it  is  fitting  you  should  take  council  with  your 
father  before  pledging  yourself." 

I  knew  that  well,  and  his  grave  and  kindly  tone  went  farther 
towards  making  me  feel  shame  that  I  had  not  done  so  than  all 
his  sternness  could. 

The  new  moon,  a  slender  crescent  of  silver,  was  hanging  over 
the  shoulder  of  Edge  Hill,  and  just  below,  the  great  evening 
star  was  throbbing.  The  sun  was  not  yet  down,  but  the  high 
hill  shut  off  the  rosy  glow  in  the  west  and  so  left  moon  and  star 
—  the  star  of  love,  the  star  of  Venus,  our  star,  I  called  it  — 
hanging  suspended  over  the  dark  brow  of  the  hill  in  almost 
undimmed  brilliance.  I  often  think  of  them  as  they  looked  that 
evening,  sinking  at  last  behind  the  high,  hanging  wood,  and 
the  air  growing  cooler  and  fresher  and  drenched  with  dew,  be 
fore  my  father  had  ceased  to  plead  with  his  wayward  boy.  We 
had  long  left  the  sparkling  Cher  and  were  rolling  swiftly  along 
the  banks  of  the  gentle  Avon  and  rapidly  nearing  Stratford  by 
the  time  I  had  given  my  promise  to  him:  I  would  see  Peggy 
and  tell  her  that  we  must  wait  two  years,  and  that  the  two  years 
were  to  be  spent  by  me  in  exile  in  America  —  I  called  it  exile  — 
but  if  at  the  end  of  the  two  years  we  both  remained  constant, 
my  father  would  withdraw  all  opposition  and  Peggy  should  be 
Lady  Marchmont,  and  I  would  be  the  happiest  man  in  the 
world. 

It  was  nine  o'clock  and  the  sun  just  setting  as  we  clattered 
into  the  stone  paved  court  of  the  Red  Horse;  Gleason  popping 
his  long  whip,  the  post  boy  playing  fol  de  rols  on  his  horn,  and 
mine  host,  a  jolly  good  fellow,  rushing  out  at  the  door  to  wel 
come  his  coming  guests.  The  inn  was  full,  my  father  would 
have  to  share  the  room  reserved  for  me,  which  was  another  trial, 
for  would  he  not  know  exactly  how  late  I  stayed  out  with  Peggy  ? 
My  father  made  light  of  it  as  if  he  were  the  one  being  discom 
moded. 

"  Pooh,  pooh !  that 's  nothing !  I  have  often  endured  greater 
hardships  than  to  sleep  near  my  boy,"  he  said  grandiloquently. 
"  You  have  two  beds  in  the  room,  I  suppose,  Landlord  ?  And, 
if  not,  you  can  easily  set  up  another.  Just  let  us  have  some 


14  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

supper  and  I  '11  to  bed,  for  I  've  traveled  farther  than  this  young 
fellow,  to-day,  who  I  '11  be  bound  is  still  good  for  a  midnight 
stroll  under  the  stars." 

This  last  with  a  sly  wink  at  me,  and  I  blushed  sheepishly  and 
could  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  propose  that  I  should  seek  a 
bed  in  another  inn,  as  I  had  thought  of  doing. 

Neither  could  I  find  it  in  my  heart  to  say  a  word  to  Peggy  of 
my  promise  to  my  father,  when  I  met  her  at  the  door  of  Guild 
Hall,  and  we  strolled  down  by  the  Avon  under  the  stars,  and 
then  up  on  Sir  Hugh's  great  bridge,  where  we  leaned  on  the  par 
apet  looking  down  into  the  dark  water  glimmering  faintly  below 
in  the  starlight;  and  with  my  arm  around  Peggy's  waist,  and 
sometimes  her  head  upon  my  shoulder,  I  listened  to  her  gay  chat 
ter  reciting  all  the  trials  and  triumphs  of  the  week. 

But  Peggy  was  hungry,  as  Peggy  always  was  after  the  play, 
and  we  did  not  linger  long  on  the  bridge.  We  went  back  to 
her  inn,  the  Old  Green  Tree,  not  near  so  fine  as  the  Red  Horse, 
but  better  suited  in  price  to  Peggy's  purse,  where  I  ordered  the 
most  sumptuous  supper  the  inn  could  afford;  and  we  lingered 
so  long  over  it  that  the  great  constellation  of  Scorpio  was  far  on 
its  way  to  the  west,  its  red  heart,  Antares,  glowering  at  me  just 
over  the  roof  of  the  Red  Horse,  when  I  presented  myself  to  the 
sleepy  waiter  on  guard  at  the  door. 

I  know  not  how  my  father  managed  it  —  indeed,  at  the  time, 
I  did  not  think  of  him  as  managing  it  at  all,  but  I  'm  sure  now 
that  he  did  —  but  I  saw  no  more  of  Peggy  alone.  He  insisted  in 
the  morning  that  I  should  attend  church  with  him  at  Holy  Trin 
ity  (to  which  I  made  the  fewer  objections  since  I  knew  Peggy 
was  never  visible  till  mid-day),  and  where  we  had  a  seat  near 
enough  to  Mr.  Shakespeare's  grave  for  me  to  amuse  myself  in 
deciphering  the  quaint  inscription  when  I  wearied  of  the  ser 
mon. 

To  my  consternation,  when  church  was  ended  and  we  were 
lingering  under  the  trees  in  the  pleasant  churchyard,  watching 
the  Avon  slide  smoothly  by  under  its  overhanging  willows,  my 
father  proposed  that  we  should  call  upon  Miss  Wolverton  at  her 
inn  and  invite  her  to  dinner  with  us  at  the  Bed  Horse.  To  my 


WHEEE  THE  GENTLE  AVON  FLOWS  15 

consternation,  I  said,  for  I  had  been  planning  how  I  was  to 
excuse  myself  to  my  father  and  slip  away  to  dine  with  Peggy, 
and  was  just  on  the  point  of  putting  my  plan  into  execution 
when  he  spoke.  Yet  I  was  as  much  pleased  as  dismayed. 
Did  not  this  prove  a  desire  on  my  father's  part  to  show  honor 
to  Peggy?  Would  he  not  treat  thus  a  prospective  daughter-in- 
law  who  pleased  him?  Could  he  do  more  for  Miss  Dufour 
herself,  were  she  in  Peggy's  place? 

I  wished  now  that  I  had  told  Peggy,  the  evening  before,  of 
my  father's  presence  in  Stratford,  that  she  might  have  been  pre 
pared  for  this  visit.  I  know  not  what  had  tied  my  tongue  each 
time  I  had  started  to  tell  her,  and  now  I  had  to  confess  to  my 
father  that  she  did  not  know,  and  would  be  much  taken  by  sur 
prise. 

"  All  the  better  !  "  said  my  father  cheerfully.  "  I  shall  like 
to  see  if  she  recognizes  an  old  acquaintance.  And  if  she  doesn't 
I  will  know  I  have  grown  as  elderly  and  grizzled  as  my  glass 
assures  me  I  have.  That  is,"  he  added  hastily,  "  if  she  proves  to 
be  the  Miss  Wolverton  I  knew  fifteen  years  ago,  of  which,  I  be 
lieve  you  have  some  doubts." 

I  had  no  doubts  at  all.  I  was  quite  sure  it  could  not  be  the 
same,  but  I  said  nothing,  and  twenty  minutes  later,  in  the  parlor 
of  the  Old  Green  Tree,  my  heart  was  going  like  a  bellows  at  the 
sound  of  Peggy's  little  feet  tripping  down  the  slippery  oak 
staircase. 

She  did  not  see  my  father  at  first  and  came  dancing  in,  shak 
ing  a  pretty  pink  forefinger  at  me  in  mock  reproach,  and  show 
ing  all  her  little  white  teeth  as  she  smiled. 

"  You  naughty  man !  "  she  began,  but  I,  not  being  quite  sure 
what  she  was  going  to  say,  hurried  forward  and  interrupted 
her. 

"  I  want  you  to  meet  my  father,  Peggy,"  I  said  breathlessly, 
and  at  the  word  Peggy  turned  and  looked  at  my  father  and  went 
white,  all  in  a  moment;  and  it  was  like  a  knife  in  my  heart  to 
see  it,  for  I  saw  that  she  knew  him.  But  Peggy  recovered  her 
self  in  a  minute  and  swept  my  father  a  curtsy,  and  looked  up  at 
him  under  her  long  lashes  in  a  way  that  I  had  thought  was  for 


16  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

me  alone,  and  that  pleased  my  father  more  than  it  pleased  me. 
He  put  his  hand  on  his  heart  and  made  her  a  low  bow. 

"  Charmed  to  meet  you  once  more,  Miss  Wolverton,"  he  said 
with  the  air  of  a  courtier.  "  You  are  looking  as  young  and  as 
beautiful  as  you  looked  fifteen  years  ago,  when,  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  this  boy's  mother,  you  would  surely  have  broken  my 
heart." 

I  saw  Peggy  give  me  a  quick,  sidelong  glance,  and  for  a  mo 
ment  there  was  an  angry  sparkle  in  her  eye,  and  I  trembled  for 
what  might  be  on  the  tip  of  her  saucy  tongue.  But,  whatever 
it  was,  she  thought  better  of  it.  She  tossed  her  head  daintily 
and  smiled  bewitchingly. 

"  Oh,  law !  Lord  Marchmont !  "  she  said,  "  you  've  not  forgot 
how  to  flatter,  I  see.  I  was  such  a  baby  fifteen  years  ago  I  won 
der  I  can  remember  you.  But  I  do  remember  that  you  tried  to 
turn  my  silly  little  head  with  your  pretty  speeches,  and  you 
ought  to  have  known  better  than  to  talk  so  to  a  child  who  took 
every  word  you  uttered  for  gospel  truth/' 

My  father  chuckled,  and  I  breathed  easier.  If  she  was  only 
a  child  fifteen  years  ago  she  could  not  be  more  than  thirty  now 
—  and  what  was  a  matter  of  ten  or  eleven  years  on  the  wrong 
side  to  two  people  who  loved  each  other?  I  said  to  myself 
stoutly,  for  if  ever  there  was  a  boy  bewitched,  Peggy's  saucy 
curls  and  laughing  eyes  and  flashing  smile  had  bewitched  me. 

While  I  was  comforting  myself  with  the  thought,  my  father 
was  extending  his  invitation,  and  Peggy  received  it  radiantly. 
A  dinner  at  the  Red  Horse  was  a  much  finer  prospect  than  one 
at  the  Old  Green  Tree,  and  that  my  father  should  offer  her  such 
a  courtesy  pleased  her  even  more,  I  could  see,  than  the  prospect 
of  a  dinner.  She  ran  out  of  the  room  for  her  bonnet  and 
pelisse  and  came  back  in  five  minutes,  breathless  from  haste, 
her  cheeks  rosy  and  her  eyes  dancing  and  looking  prettier  than 
ever  with  her  bonnet  framing  her  sparkling  face  like  a  picture, 
and  her  little  dimpled  chin  nestling  into  the  big  bow  of  lilac  rib 
bon  that  tied  it  on.  I  was  proud  as  a  peacock  and  I've  no  doubt 
showed  it  plainly  to  my  father's  shrewd  eyes.  He  offered  Peggy 
his  arm  and,  I  on  the  other  side  of  her,  we  three  walked  decor- 


WHERE  THE  GENTLE  AVON  FLOWS  17. 

ously  up  Bridge  Street,  still  quite  full  of  people  returning  from 
church,  and  many  of  them  turning  to  stare  curiously  at  Peggy 
(who  by  this  time  was  well  known  in  Stratford,  from  her  three 
weeks  at  Guild  Hall)  on  the  arm  of  a  distinguished-looking 
stranger. 

All  through  dinner  Peggy  devoted  herself  to  my  father,  being 
arch  and  merry,  and  saucy,  and  languishing  with  him  by  turns, 
and  at  last  I  began  to  feel  the  pangs  of  jealousy.  Was  not  my 
father  a  widower?  And  though  I  had  grown  accustomed  to 
thinking  of  him  as  rather  an  old  fellow,  far  beyond  the  years 
when  he  could  please  a  girl's  fancy,  was  he  not  as  vigorous  and 
as  erect  as  I,  and  a  far  handsomer  man,  I  had  always  said,  than 
I  could  ever  hope  to  be? 

Nothing  escaped.  Peggy.  She  saw  the  gloom  settling  down 
on  me  in  spite  of  my  struggles  to  hide  it,  and  she  took  advantage 
of  a  moment  when  my  father  was  speaking  to  the  butler  to 
whisper  in  my  ear: 

"  You  Goose !  Can't  you  see  it  is  all  for  you  ?  I  must  do 
my  best  to  win  your  father  if  we  would  ever  hope  to  be  happy." 
And  with  that  she  seized  my  hand  under  cover  of  the  table  and 
gave  it  a  little  squeeze. 

Of  course  I  could  see  it.  And  it  was  noble  of  her,  too,  for  no 
doubt  she  would  much  rather  be  talking  with  me  than  with  an 
old  man  nearly  fifty,  even  so  charming  a  one  as  my  father.  My 
heart  grew  light,  I  could  feel  my  face  clear  and  I  joined  in  the 
conversation  with  great  sprightliness.  I  saw  my  father  glance 
at  me  curiously  once  or  twice.  He  had  not  seen  Peggy  whisper 
in  my  ear  and  of  course  he  had  not  seen  her  squeeze  my  hand, 
and  he  could  not  quite  account  for  the  sudden  alteration  in 
my  demeanor,  which  was  plainly  perceptible  to  him. 

It  was  after  the  dessert  had  been  cleared  away,  Peggy  sipping 
her  champagne  with  us  as  we  took  our  port,  that  my  father  ex 
ploded  a  bomb  he  had  been  carefully  preparing : 

Schools  would  begin  the  next  morning.  If  I  waited  for  the 
Monday  morning  coach,  I  would  either  be  late  for  the  first  one 
or  miss  it  altogether.  Did  not  Miss  Wolverton  think  it  would 
be  wise  if  he  and  I  should  get  a  post-chaise  from  the  Eed  Horse 


18  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

and  drive  over  this  afternoon  immediately  after  dinner?  Miss 
ing  one  of  the  Greats  was  a  serious  matter,  as  Miss  Wolverton 
probably  knew,  and  should  anything  occur  to  cause  my  failure 
in  getting  my  B.A.  he  himself  (usually  the  most  indulgent  of 
fathers)  would  be  inclined  to  be  very  severe  with  me. 

I  expected  to  see  Peggy  pout  and  tease,  for  this  Sunday  after 
noon  and  evening  with  her  meant  much  to  me,  and  I  could  not 
believe  meant  less  to  her.  To  my  astonishment  she  hesitated  a 
moment  and  then  she  said  very  sweetly  and  seriously : 

"  You  are  quite  right,  Lord  Marchmont,  as  you  always  are. 
Sir  Lionel  cannot  afford  to  miss  the  Greats,  still  less  can  he  af 
ford  to  offend  so  good  a  father." 

I  saw  my  father  color,  whether  from  pleasure  I  could  not  be 
quite  sure,  but  he  bowed  gravely  and  thanked  her  for  agreeing 
with  him,  and,  without  waiting  to  discover  whether  I  also  agreed 
with  him,  summoned  the  butler  once  more  and  ordered  a  post- 
chaise  to  be  ready  in  half  an  hour  to  start  for  Oxford.  There 
were  times  when  I  would  have  dared  to  demur  at  such  a  sum 
mary  procedure,  but  there  were  times,  also,  when  my  father's 
mood  put  me  greatly  in  awe  of  him,  and  this  was  one  of  them. 

The  order  having  been  given,  my  father  was  all  graciousness 
and  smiles  to  Peggy,  and  invited  her,  with  charming  cordiality, 
to  be  present  in  Oxford  the  next  Sunday,  which  would  be  Show 
Sunday. 

"  I  will  be  there  myself  and  try  to  fill  in  any  little  gaps 
Lionel  may  leave  open  for  me/'  he  said.  "I  shall  not  leave 
Oxford  until  after  Commemoration,  when  I  can  take  my  boy 
home  with  me  to  Clover  Combe  Court."  And  then  he  added, 
with  a  suavity  I  had  never  seen  in  my  father,  whose  usual  frank 
and  hearty  manner  sometimes  amounted  to  bluffness :  "  Lionel 
tells  me  that  he  could  not  summon  up  the  requisite  courage  last 
night  to  tell  you  of  his  plans;  perhaps  he  will  tell  them  to  you 
now  in  the  few  moments  remaining  to  us  while  I  attend  to  the 
bill.  We  will  set  you  down  at  the  Old  Green  Tree  in  our  post- 
chaise." 

He  rose  as  he  spoke,  excused  himself  and  went  out  to  the 
bar,  where  he  was  sure  to  find  the  landlord,  and  left  me  alone 


WHERE  THE  GENTLE  AVON  FLOWS  19 

with  Peggy,  who  was  white  and  red  by  turns  at  these  ominous 
words  of  my  father,  and  a  steely  look  in  her  black  eyes  that  I 
did  not  like. 

I  do  not  know  how  I  blurted  it  out:  that  it  was  my  father's 
plan,  not  mine;  that  it  would  be  only  two  years;  and  that  I 
should  love  her  better  every  day  and  every  hour  of  the  two 
years ;  that  I  could  wait  a  lifetime  for  her ;  but  if  she  would  but 
be  true  to  me  I  would  only  have  to  wait  two  years,  and  then  I 
could  come  back  from  exile  and  claim  my  father's  promise  and 
make  her  my  wife  and  take  her  to  Clover  Combe  Court  to  live. 

She  listened  to  my  incoherent  words  impatiently,  and  finally 
she  interrupted  me,  demanding  in  a  voice  like  ice,  that  I  be  a 
little  more  explicit,  and  tell  her  where  my  exile  was  to  be  and 
how  soon  it  was  to  begin. 

I  had  hardly  finished  my  embarrassed  and  stammering  ex 
planations  to  her,  when  my  father  returned,  and  Peggy's  manner, 
which  had  been  cold  and  hard  to  me,  changed  instantly.  She 
was  by  turns  gentle  and  pathetic  and  submissive  and  grieving 
with  him;  I  was  sure  my  father  must  be  won  to  reconsider. 
But  the  post-chaise  was  at  the  door,  the  horses  were  stamping 
impatiently  on  the  paved  court,  my  father  said  if  we  were  to 
get  to  Oxford  before  dark  and  before  the  road  men  were  abroad, 
we  would  have  to  be  off,  and  I  helped  Peggy  into  the  chaise  and 
it  was  hardly  five  minutes  till  we  had  left  her  at  the  door  of  the 
Old  Green  Tree,  waving  a  white  hand  in  farewell,  and  we  were 
disturbing  the  Sabbath  calm  of  Stratford,  people  looking  out  from 
behind  drawn  shutters  at  the  unusual  sound  of  a  post-chaise 
rattling  over  the  stones  on  Sunday,  though  the  post  boy  had  tied 
up  his  horn  out  of  deference  to  the  day,  and  no  long-drawn 
windings  of  it  were  waking  the  sleepy  echoes  of  the  streets. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  left  the  noisy  stones  behind  us  and 
rumbled  up  onto  Sir  Hugh's  great  bridge,  where  I  had  stood 
the  night  before  with  my  arm  around  Peggy,  and  across  it  into 
the  soft  dirt  road  winding  between  green  fields  and  bearing  us 
swiftly  away  from  the  gentle  Avon  to  the  gay  waters  of  the 
Cher  and  old  Oxford. 


II 

AN  INTERESTING  PARTY  BOARDS  OUR  SHIP  AT  LE  HAVRE 

ON"  the  ride  back  to  Oxford  I  had  a  more  serious  talk  with 
my  father  than  I  ever  remembered  to  have  had,  and  I 
think  I  caught  glimpses  of  his  character  and  temper  that  I  had 
never  seen  before. 

I  was  sullen  at  first;  it  pains  me  now,  when  I  think  how 
gentle  and  forbearing  with  my  pettish  humor  my  father  showed 
himself,  and  how  churlishly  I  responded  to  all  his  overtures. 
But  there  came  a  moment  when  he  seemed  to  think  forbearance 
ceased  to  be  a  virtue,  and  he  gave  me  to  understand  in  a  few 
etern  words  that  I  was  not  yet  old  enough,  nor  had  I  proved 
myself  of  sufficient  discretion  to  have  the  making  or  the  mar 
ring  of  my  future  in  my  own  hands;  that  I  would  be  the  first 
to  blame  him,  and  rightly,  too,  in  after  years,  should  he  allow 
me  to  make  a  fool  of  myself  now. 

Not  once  did  he  utter  Peggy's  name  —  that  I  could  not  have 
borne  —  but,  of  course,  it  was  perfectly  clear  in  what  manner 
he  considered  me  as  making  a  fool  of  myself,  and  I  was  boiling 
with  indignation.  But  at  the  last  he  touched  my  heart. 

"  My  son,"  returning  once  more  to  his  gentleness  of  manner, 
"you  are  all  I  have  in  the  world.  You  bear  a  noble  name, 
handed  down  to  you  by  a  long  line  of  untarnished  ancestry. 
The  women  who  have  married  into  the  family  have  been  of 
equal  or  nobler  rank,  and  have  brought  with  them  sterling 
virtues  and  womanly  graces  to  enrich  the  blood.  I  ask  only 
that  you  take  two  years  to  consider  whether,  in  your  present 
choice,  you  are  honoring  your  ancestors  and  ennobling  your 
descendants.  If,  at  the  end  of  the  two  years,  you  are  of  the 
same  mind,  if  you  have  each  proved  loyal  to  the  other,  I  have 
nothing  more  to  say.  You  will  be  of  age  —  you  can  choose 

20 


for  yourself.  Bring  whom  you  will  to  Clover  Combe  Court 
and  I  will  make  her  welcome;  and  I  think  you  will  agree  with 
me  that  this  is  little  enough  for  a  gray-haired  father  to  ask  of 
his  only  son." 

My  mind  was  seething  with  conflicting  emotions.  Between 
my  love  for  Peggy  —  which  made  her  seem  to  me  in  all  womanly 
graces  and  virtues  the  equal  of  any  titled  woman  in  the  land 
—  and  my  youthful  and  generous  scorn  of  all  aristocratic  pre 
tensions  —  for  were  not  we,  at  Oxford,  ardent  disciples  of  Vol 
taire  and  Rousseau  ?  —  between  these  and  the  love  and  respect 
I  owed  my  father,  I  was  in  such  tumult  of  spirit  I  knew  not 
how  to  make  reply.  But  at  the  very  last  there  had  been  a 
tremor  in  my  father's  voice  —  my  gay  and  debonair  father, 
bon  camarade  and  bon  viveur,  whom  I  had  never  suspected  of 
such  deep  feeling  —  that  touched  my  heart ;  and  I  made  such 
response  as  I  thought  a  great  concession  on  my  part,  though 
still  somewhat  surly  in  the  fashion  of  making  it. 

"  You  are  no  doubt  right,  sir,"  I  said.  "  I  understand  per 
fectly  that  in  your  eyes  I  am  still  a  child  and  a  foolish  one. 
For  two  years  I  will  abide  by  your  judgment,  but  I  pray  you 
build  no  false  hopes  on  either  Miss  Wolverton's  failure  in  con 
stancy  or  my  own.  This  is  no  passing  fancy  on  the  part  of 
either  of  us;  but  an  abiding  affection,  founded  on  mutual  es 
teem." 

These  were  great  words,  and  I  liked  the  sound  of  them; 
though  I  have  sometimes  smiled  since  in  recalling  them.  My 
father  seemed  to  like  them,  too,  if  I  could  judge  from  the 
gravity  of  his  utterance,  a  little  belied,  however,  by  the  fleeting 
twinkle  in  his  eye.  He  offered  me  his  hand  and  said  gravely : 

"  'T  is  a  bond,  my  son.  I  thank  you  for  it,  and  we  will  talk 
no  more  of  it." 

This  last  was  such  a  relief  to  me  that  the  latter  part  of 
our  journey  was  as  gay  as  the  first  part  had  been  somber.  My 
father  might  have  been  another  boy  like  myself,  and  both  of 
us  off  on  some  Sunday  lark,  for  I  think  from  both  our  hearts 
a  load  had  been  rolled:  from  mine,  that  my  confession  was 
made  and  I  had  been  treated  at  least  squarely;  from  my 


22  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

father  s,  that  my  promise  was  given,  for  he  knew  my  word  was 
my  bond  to  be  depended  upon  as  his  own. 

I  went  to  bed  not  at  all  that  night,  and  I  kept  Hardwick 
up  with  me,  cramming  me  for  the  Pass  on  Monday.  I  realized, 
now  that  it  was  so  late,  how  much  of  my  time  had  been  squan 
dered  on  Peggy,  and  I  began  to  feel  a  little  remorse  for  it, 
and  to  be  filled  with  a  feverish  eagerness  to  make  the  most  of 
the  few  hours  left  to  me.  All  hope  of  a  First  was  gone,  dead 
as  my  interest  in  it  and  desire  for  it  had  been  the  last  few 
weeks.  But  my  interest  and  desire  had  both  revived,  now  that 
it  was  too  late,  and  I  began  to  see  myself  for  the  first  time  as 
something  of  the  fool  I  was  sure  my  father  must  regard  me. 

I  saw  but  little  of  my  father  during  this  week  —  cramming 
all  night  and  Schools  most  of  the  day  —  but  I  made  the  Greats, 
though  I  did  not  deserve  to,  and  could  look  forward  with  a 
clear  conscience  to  Show  Sunday  and  Peggy. 

She  had  written  me  (I  never  showed  Peggy's  notes  to  any 
one.  Neither  the  penmanship  nor  the  spelling  were  to  be 
proud  of,  but  I  consoled  myself  with  the  thought  that  many  a 
fine  lady  could  not  do  as  well)  she  had  written  me  that  the 
entire  troupe  was  coming  over  Saturday  evening,  and  would 
give  As  You  Like  It  in  New  College  gardens  Monday  after 
noon.  In  a  way,  this  was  a  disappointment  to  me.  I  would 
have  liked  Peggy  for  once  without  her  theatrical  surroundings, 
but  in  a  way,  too,  it  was  a  pleasure.  I  was  quite  wild  about 
Peggy's  playing,  regarding  her  as  the  greatest  of  living  ac 
tresses,  and  I  had  never  seen  her  as  Rosalind. 

My  aunt,  my  father's  sister,  who,  since  the  death  of  my 
mother,  had  done  the  honors  of  Clover  Combe  Court  and  been 
a  mother  to  me,  was  coming,  also,  for  Show  Sunday  and 
Commemoration  Week,  and  would  also  arrive  Saturday  even 
ing.  My  duty  to  her  would  interfere  with  my  attendance  on 
Peggy,  I  feared,  and  that  thought  detracted  somewhat  from 
the  pleasure  I  ought  to  have  felt  in  her  coming.  The  young 
are  selfish,  my  aunt  has  often  told  me,  but,  also  she  has  said 
she  has  no  doubt  it  is  a  provision  of  nature  wisely  intended 
for  the  perpetuation  of  the  species,  and  the  carrying  on  of  the 


AN  INTERESTING  PARTY  BOARDS  OUR  SHIP  23 

great  emprises  of  the  world,  that  the  old  should  think  only 
of  the  pleasures  and  the  well-being  of  the  young,  and  that  the 
young  should  think  only  of  themselves,  and  of  their  own  most 
weighty  affairs. 

"  Love  descends  but  does  not  ascend/'  is  one  of  my  Aunt 
Pamela's  favorite  sayings,  and  when  I  ask  her  what  that 
means  — "  Wait,  sir/'  she  says,  "  till  you  have  children  of 
your  own,  and  by  the  time  they  are  well  on  in  their  teens  you 
will  know." 

I  trembled  a  little  at  the  thought  of  her  shrewd,  though 
kindly  eyes,  reading  Peggy  like  an  open  book.  It  would  mean 
much  to  me  if  she  read  her  to  her  liking;  for  in  spite  of  her 
"  Love  descends,"  I  loved  my  aunt  in  my  selfish  way,  and  would 
be  much  happier  if  she  loved  Peggy;  and  while  dreading  the 
meeting,  I  was  eager  for  it,  too,  and  anxious  that  Peggy  should 
make  a  good  impression  both  in  dress  and  behavior.  She 
had  many  admirers  in  Oxford,  and  I  knew  that  as  we  prome 
naded  the  length  of  Broad  Walk  there  would  be  many  bold  eyes 
ogling  her,  and  sometimes  Peggy  was  apt  to  show  too  plainly 
that  she  liked  such  attentions  and  to  return  them  in  kind,  which 
I  was  very  sure  would  shock  Aunt  Pamela's  somewhat  rigorous 
notions  of  propriety,  should  Peggy  be  betrayed  into  an  exhi 
bition  of  vanity  before  her. 

I  was  of  half  a  mind  to  give  Peggy  a  word  of  caution  in 
advance,  though  dreading  to  do  so,  from  not  being  quite  sure 
how  she  might  take  it,  but  I  had  no  chance.  Knowing  that 
she  would  not  be  visible  before  mid-day,  I  presented  myself  at 
The  Roebuck  immediately  after  the  service  at  St.  Mary's,  which 
I  had  attended  with  my  Aunt  Pamela  and  my  father,  only  to 
receive  a  little  note  from  her  to  the  effect  that  she  was  tired 
and  should  take  her  dinner  in  bed,  and  please  call  for  her  at 
three  o'clock,  when  she  would  be  ready  for  the  Show. 

I  would  not  go  back  to  the  Mitre  and  dine  with  my  father 
and  Aunt  Pamela,  since  I  had  excused  myself  to  them  on  the 
score  of  an  engagement  with  Peggy,  and  as  I  did  not  feel 
equal  to  the  chaffing  from  my  fellow  students,  that  I  knew 
would  meet  me  in  the  dinner  hall,  I  retired  to  my  rooms,  or- 


24  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

dered  up  a  cold  lunch  and  spent  the  intervening  hours  in 
attempting  a  sonnet  to  Peggy  in  imitation  of  one  of  Mr.  Shake 
speare's;  and  in  rebrushing  and  retying  my  hair  and  rear 
ranging  my  laces.  I  was  just  starting  for  the  Eoebuck  once 
more,  when  my  father  presented  himself  at  my  rooms,  and 
learning  where  I  was  going,  offered  to  accompany  me ;  and  so  I 
had  no  chance  to  give  Peggy  my  warning. 

There  was  no  fault,  however,  to  be  found  with  Peggy's 
dress  when  she  came  down  to  present  herself  to  us  in  the  inn 
parlor.  She  had  donned  her  bravest  attire,  for  Show  Sunday 
was  intended  for  dress  display,  and  if  Peggy's  finery  was  a 
little  more  showy  and  gaudy  than  my  aunt's  quiet  tastes  would 
approve,  there  would  be  others  as  gaudily  dressed  to  bear  her 
company,  and  it  became  her  mightily.  Neither  was  there  any 
fault  to  be  found  in  her  behavior  to  my  father,  unless,  to  my 
jealous  eyes,  it  seemed  a  little  over-sweet,  for  I  could  see  that 
my  father  was  looking  handsomer  than  usual,  and  his  attire, 
too,  was  of  the  bravest.  He,  also,  was  ready  for  Show  Sunday, 
and  I  had  noted  that  more  admiring  glances  from  bright  eyes 
fell  to  the  father's  share  than  to  the  son's,  on  our  way  to  The 
Eoebuck. 

But  I  took  shame  to  myself  for  such  unworthy  thoughts, 
unjust  equally  to  my  father  and  to  Peggy,  and  strutted  proudly 
by  her  side,  as,  Peggy,  once  more  on  my  father's  arm,  a  goodly 
looking  couple,  we  walked  to  the  Mitre  for  my  aunt.  Now  was 
the  crucial  moment,  and  I  felt  the  blood  surging  to  my  temples 
and  pounding  in  my  ears  as  I  presented  Peggy.  Peggy  swept 
a  low  and  deferential  curtsy  that  pleased  me  greatly,  and  what 
did  my  stately  Aunt  Pamela  do  but  lay  her  hand  caressingly 
on  Peggy's  shoulder  and  exclaim  in  the  friendliest  fashion : 

"  Why,  my  child,  how  pretty  you  are !  No  wonder  the  boy 
has  lost  his  head  and  his  heart !  " 

Peggy  blushed  with  pleasure  through  all  her  powder  and 
paint.  'T  was  no  disgrace,  then,  to  use  both ;  every  great  lady 
did,  and  as  for  an  actress,  it  was  but  part  of  her  profession 
and  her  duty  to  make  herself  as  young  and  as  beautiful  as 
medicants  for  the  complexion  could  manage. 


AN  INTERESTING  PARTY  BOARDS  OUR  SHIP      25 

I  saw  but  little  of  Peggy  during  the  Show.  My  father  ab 
sorbed  much  of  her  time,  and  there  were  other  aspirants  for 
her  favor  that  secured  some  of  it  among  the  gay  company  that 
thronged  the  Broad  Walk;  while  Merton  men  were  constantly 
carrying  me  off  to  meet  their  sisters  —  fine  ladies,  all  of  them, 
and  many  of  them  Honorables  —  and  sometimes  my  father 
must  present  me  to  the  daughter  of  an  old  friend  or  fellow 
collegian,  and  I  must  smirk  and  bow  and  do  my  manners  with 
my  eyes  ever  furtively  watching  Peggy,  and  my  heart  constantly 
following  her. 

Once,  just  at  the  turn  of  the  promenade,  I  came  upon  my 
father  in  earnest  conversation  with  her.  I  thought  my  father 
looked  stern  and  Peggy  greatly  disturbed.  She  was  angry, 
and  frightened,  and  subdued,  and  haughty,  by  turns;  and  I 
longed  greatly  to  know  why,  though  I  would  ask  neither  of 
them,  for  I  said  to  myself,  proudly  —  if  they  do  not  tell  me  of 
their  own  accord  I  will  not  force  their  confidence  —  and  I 
knew  I  could  trust  them  both.  Yet,  later,  my  father  was  all 
politeness  to  Peggy,  and  Peggy  was  all  pretty  daring  and 
coquetry  with  him,  which  seemed  either  to  amuse  or  to  please 
him,  or  both. 

Though  I  saw  little  of  Peggy  on  Show  Sunday  I  saw  much 
of  her  on  Monday.  I  sat  in  New  Gardens  while  the  shadows 
were  lengthening  on  the  velvety  turf,  and  the  air  was  filled 
with  the  fragrance  of  roses  and  honeysuckle,  and  for  three 
hours  I  feasted  my  eyes  on  her  —  the  most  bewitching  Rosa 
lind  the  world  had  ever  seen,  I  verily  believed.  My  ears  were 
glutted  with  her  praises  on  all  sides,  and  most  grateful  among 
them  were  my  Aunt  Pamela's,  who  sat  beside  me  and  mur 
mured  every  little  while,  "  No  wonder !  No  wonder !  "  Which 
I  knew  to  mean,  no  wonder  I  was  over  head  and  ears  in  love. 

But  the  moment  the  performance  was  over,  Peggy  was  mine 
for  the  rest  of  the  evening.  This  was  the  first  week  in  July; 
in  two  weeks  my  packet  would  sail;  on  Wednesday  morning 
the  Lord  High  Chancellor  himself  would  tap  me  three  times 
on  the  head  with  the  time-honored  copy  of  the  Bible  in  use 
many  years  for  that  purpose,  and  make  a  B.A.  of  me;  arid 


26  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

my  father  had  arranged  that  at  the  earliest  possible  moment 
after  the  conclusion  of  that  ceremony,  we  three  should  start 
for  Clover  Combe  Court,  for  there  were  many  preparations  to 
be  made  for  my  long  journey.  Peggy  was  to  start  back  for  Strat 
ford  early  Tuesday  morning  (on  Tuesdays  and  Thursdays  the 
coaches  left  in  the  morning)  and  my  last  chance  for  seeing 
her  for  two  interminable  years  would  be  Monday  evening. 
Therefore  I  had  demanded,  and  neither  my  aunt  nor  my  father 
had  the  heart  to  object,  that  this  last  evening  should  be  devoted 
to  Peggy. 

I  waited  only  for  her  to  get  out  of  Eosalind's  clothes  and 
into  her  own  before  carrying  her  off  to  Iffley  for  supper.  We 
ate  it  in  a  picturesque  little  inn  on  a  balcony  overhanging  the 
Isis  and  when  supper  was  over  we  punted  lazily  up  the  Isis  to 
the  Cherwell  and  up  the  Cher,  until  we  reached  a  shady  nook 
by  Addison's  Walk. 

What  we  said  to  each  other  through  that  long  evening  would 
fill  the  Bodley  Library,  I  think.  I  look  back  at  it  sadly:  the 
ingenuous  young  fellow,  his  heart  brimming  over  with  his  first 
love,  pouring  out  the  wealth  of  it  on  an  arid  waste  that  never 
could  blossom  in  response.  All  the  promises  she  made  me 
rang  true  to  my  ears;  all  her  protestations  of  undying  love 
fell  sweetly  on  my  heart;  yet  there  were  moments  when,  in 
fatuated  though  I  was,  blind  and  deaf  to  everything  but  Peggy 
and  her  charms,  a  faint  uneasiness  stole  into  my  mind.  Why 
did  she  sometimes,  when  I  was  breathing  my  most  ardent  vows, 
look  troubled;  why  did  she  half  start,  at  other  times,  to  say 
something  that  she  repented  of  before  it  was  spoken  ?  Why  did 
she  offer  a  thousand  reasons,  all  of  them  trivial,  why  she  could 
not  come  to  Greenwich  to  see  me  sail  and  bid  me  farewell,  as 
I  ardently  desired  her  to  do?  I  know  why,  now,  but  then  I 
had  only  a  moment's  uneasiness,  and  soon  was  lost  once  more 
in  a  radiant  sea  that  engulfed  me  in  its  warm  waves,  bearing 
us  both  on,  I  believed,  to  a  golden  future  of  bliss. 

The  moon  was  well  on  its  way  to  the  full  and  threw  lovely 
traces  of  shade  and  shine  over  Peggy  as  it  fell  through  the 
limes  and  beeches  of  Addison's  Walk.  For  at  least  three  weeks 


AN  INTERESTING  PARTY  BOARDS  OUR  SHIP  27 

I  thought  of  her  every  night  as  she  looked  that  evening  under 
the  shadow  of  Magdalen's  walls  and  always  with  bounding  joy 
at  the  thought.  But  three  weeks  is  but  a  mote  in  a  man's  life, 
and  it  has  never  been  any  joy  to  me  since  to  think  of  her  as  she 
looked  then. 

The  moon  was  hanging  low  in  the  west  (and  Peggy  had 
yawned  audibly  many  times)  when  at  last  we  climbed  the 
bank  into  Addison's  Walk  and  through  the  Magdalen  Quads. 
It  was  Commemoration  Week,  so  the  gates  were  left  open  and, 
fearing  neither  bull-dog  nor  Proctor,  we  walked  boldly  down 
The  High  to  Cornmarket  Street  and  so  to  The  Roebuck. 

At  the  door  I  said  good-by  to  her  with  a  bursting  heart,  and 
could  hardly  trust  my  voice  to  whisper  — "  In  two  years, 
Peggy."  "  In  two  years,"  she  whispered  back,  waved  a  white 
hand  and  fled  through  the  door. 

So  it  was  no  wonder  I  was  sad  when  I  said  good-by  to  my 
father  on  the  Greenwich  dock  and  saw  the  green  shores  of 
merry  England  slipping  away  from  me  where  lay  my  heart 
deep  buried  in  Peggy's  breast  —  for  so  I  believed. 

I  have  but  little  remembrance  of  the  voyage  as  far  as  Le 
Havre.  My  thoughts  were  all  of  Peggy,  and  though  I  had  a 
youth's  natural  curiosity  about  voyaging  into  new  lands,  my 
heart  was  like  a  lump  of  lead  in  my  breast  and  curiosity  was 
drowned  in  grief.  As  we  neared  the  French  shores  I  began 
to  arouse  from  my  lethargy.  War  had  been  declared  and  no 
English  vessel  would  have  dared  to  cross  the  channel,  but  our 
ship  bore  the  American  flag,  our  captain  was  an  undoubted 
Yankee  skipper  and  our  papers  bore  the  stamp  of  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  United  States.  If  a  Frenchie  had  wanted,  she 
would  not  have  dared  attack  us,  since,  with  Mr.  Jefferson  as 
President,  France  and  the  United  States  were  on  the  most  cor 
dial  terms. 

We  were  to  stop  at  Le  Havre  to  take  on  passengers  and  mer 
chandise  and  I  was  glad  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  enemy's 
country  from  such  safe  vantage  as  the  deck  of  an  American 
ship.  The  harbor  was  crowded  with  craft  of  all  kinds:  men 


28  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

of  war,  yawls  and  pinnaces,  evidently  part  of  the  great  fleet  Bona 
parte  was  preparing  to  hurl  against  England.  I  looked  at  them 
scornfully,  as  became  a  true  Briton,  yet  with  the  keenest  in 
terest,  too,  and  a  great  longing.  Why  should  I  be  exiled  to 
America  just  now,  when  great  deeds  were  stirring?  But  for 
Peggy,  I  believed  that  I  might  be  even  now  on  board  a  ship  at 
Plymouth,  getting  ready  to  meet  those  same  dapper  little 
Frenchmen  before  me,  wearing  the  tricolor  in  their  caps  and 
proudly  strutting  the  decks  of  those  ships,  between  which,  by 
means  of  much  tacking  and  veering,  we  were  laboriously  mak 
ing  our  way. 

The  harbor  was  crowded  but  we  had  a  skillful  pilot  and  soon 
made  a  mooring  at  the  foot  of  a  long  pier  where  great  bales 
and  boxes  of  merchandise  were  piled  ready  to  be  stowed  away 
in  our  hull.  I  looked  to  see  what  passengers  would  come  aboard. 
There  were  not  many  of  them,  but  two  parties  interested  me 
greatly.  One  was  a  closely  veiled  young  lady  with  her  maid, 
or  so  I  took  her  to  be.  She  was  not  so  closely  veiled  but  that 
I  could  catch  a  glimpse  of  waving  masses  of  red  brown  hair,  and 
soft  dark  eyes  that  matched  the  hair  in  color.  I  caught  a 
glimpse,  too,  of  the  white  nape  of  a  neck.  Not  Peggy's  own 
was  half  so  white,  and  I  had  never  seen  a  prouder  poise  of 
any  woman's  head.  A  gentleman  was  with  her,  who  I  could 
see  placed  her  particularly  in  the  Captain's  care,  but  neither 
the  gentleman  nor  the  maid  sailed  with  her.  They  said  good- 
by  to  her  on  the  deck  and  then  they  stood  on  the  pier  watching 
her  till  the  boat  sailed  —  the  maid  weeping  bitterly,  and  the 
gentleman  calling  up  to  her  with  words  of  cheer  and  encourage 
ment —  for  such  I  took  them  to  be  from  the  tones,  though 
they  were  in  French  and  therefore  but  meaningless  to  me. 

I  was  deeply  interested  in  the  little  party,  for  there  seemed 
to  me  to  be  a  mystery  connected  with  it  and  I  could  not  re 
frain  from  conjectures  as  to  what  the  mystery  might  be.  But 
I  was  not  so  deeply  interested  that  I  did  not  take  particular 
note,  also,  of  a  still  stranger  party.  The  head  of  it  was  a  young 
man  but  a  little  older  than  myself,  I  judged,  but  in  every  way 
a  most  striking  figure.  He  must  have  stood  a  good  six  feet  four 


I  said  good-by  to  her  with  a  bursting  heart 


AN  INTERESTING  PARTY  BOARDS  OUR  SHIP  29 

in  his  stockings,  and  his  shoulders  were  broad  in  proportion; 
while  he  was  as  slender  and  lithely  built  in  the  flanks  as  any 
race  horse.  His  hair  curled  on  his  shoulders  in  thick  golden 
ringlets  tied  back  with  a  black  ribbon,  and  clustered  in  short 
curls  around  a  brow  as  white  and  cheeks  as  pink  as  any  maiden's. 
But  for  the  level  glance  of  his  eye  and  the  firm  molding  of  his 
chin,  I  might  have  thought  him  too  effeminate  in  looks;  but, 
as  it  was,  he  struck  me  as  the  perfect  type  of  manly  beauty  — 
one  of  the  old  gods  of  Greece  come  down  to  earth. 

Striking  as  was  the  young  man,  the  rest  of  his  party  were 
no  less  so.  They  consisted  of  a  negro  man  and  a  negro  woman 
—  the  man  in  the  livery  of  a  servant,  the  woman  wearing  a 
bright  colored  turban  on  her  woolly  locks  and  a  broad  white 
handkerchief  crossed  over  her  sable  breast.  I  had  seen  but  one 
negro  in  my  life,  and  never  had  seen  a  negress.  I  looked  at 
them  curiously  and  thought  that  but  for  the  good  nature  that 
seemed  to  radiate  from  every  pore  of  their  shining  black  skins, 
and  evidenced  by  constant  grins  displaying  dazzling  rows  of 
white  teeth,  I  should  have  felt  fear  of  such  ship  companions; 
and  I  wondered  that  so  fine  a  young  gentleman  should  choose  to 
travel  with  so  strange  a  retinue.  Then  I  bethought  me  that 
they  might  be  from  America,  since  that  was  the  land  of  the 
blacks.  They  were  doubtless  slaves,  and  I  looked  at  him  more 
curiously  still  and  wondered  if  all  Americans  were  as  big  and 
as  handsome  as  this  one,  and  if  so,  I  could  not  be  so  greatly 
surprised  that  they  had  wrested  their  liberty  even  from  the 
hands  of  the  mightiest  nation  on  the  globe. 

The  passengers  were  all  aboard,  the  merchandise  was  stowed 
away,  and  still  we  waited.  I  looked  down  to  see  why  and  dis 
covered  that  they  were  having  trouble  in  making  a  great  black 
stallion  walk  the  planks  laid  down  for  him  from  the  pier  to 
the  ship.  He  was  a  magnificent  creature  with  one  white  foot 
and  a  star  on  his  forehead.  Two  men  on  either  side  of  him 
were  trying  to  urge  him  on,  but  I  think  they  were  afraid  of 
him.  There  was  fire  in  the  brute's  eye  and  danger  in  his  quiver 
ing  nostril  and  back-pointed  ears  and  flying  hoofs. 

When  they  had  tried  many  times  in  vain  to  urge  him  on 


30  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

board  I  saw  the  American  giant  (for  so  I  had  mentally  dubbed 
him)  go  down  to  the  beast,  lay  one  hand  on  his  quivering  flank 
and  take  hold  of  his  bridle  with  the  other.  He  gave  a  word  of 
command  in  French  to  the  men  and  they  fell  back  quickly, 
glad  to  be  free  from  the  dangerous  brute.  Then  he  spoke  to 
the  horse  quietly : 

"  Come,  Bourbon,"  he  said  in  English.  "  Come  on,  my  good 
fellow,"  and  the  stallion  dropped  his  head  and  followed  his 
master  meekly  aboard,  more  like  a  tame  kitten  than  the  death- 
dealing  brute  of  a  moment  before. 

And  I,  who  love  horses  and  admire  extravagantly  fine  horse 
manship,  decided  the  big  American  was  a  man  after  my  own 
heart  and  greatly  to  be  desired  as  a  friend. 


Ill 

A   GLANCE  THAT   HAUNTS   ME 

AND  a  friend  he  came  to  be  before  the  five  weeks  of  our 
stay  on  shipboard  were  over,  though  it  was  several  days 
before  I  so  much  as  thought  of  him,  since  for  those  days  I  was 
deep  buried  under  a  sea  of  sorrow:  the  waves  of  despair,  moun 
tain-high,  rolling  up  and  breaking  over  me,  pouring  all  their 
floods  upon  me  and  crushing  me  under  their  weight  of  woe. 

We  were  not  out  of  sight  of  land,  the  blue  line  of  France's 
chalk  cliffs  still  faintly  visible  in  the  offing,  and  I  looking  at 
them  steadily  with  a  strange  thrill  as  I  realized  that  now,  in 
deed,  was  I  off  on  unknown  seas,  and  this  was  my  last  glimpse 
of  land  for  weeks  —  I  was  hanging  over  the  taffrail  with  my 
eyes  fixed  on  those  distant  shores,  when  the  Captain  came  up 
to  me  and  handed  me  two  letters. 

"  They  were  not  to  be  delivered  to  you,  sir,  until  we  were  well 
out  from  Lee  Havver;  those  was  my  instructions,"  he  said. 

I  seized  them  eagerly;  one  was  from  Peggy,  one  from  my 
father.  How  good  of  them !  How  thoughtful  of  them !  I 
exclaimed  to  myself  gratefully,  to  have  letters  delivered  to  me, 
a  last  fond  message,  when  I  was  far  out  at  sea !  and  was  pro 
ceeding  to  tear  open  Peggy's  letter  when  I  noticed  on  a  corner 
of  the  envelope,  in  my  father's  handwriting  — "  To  be  opened 
first." 

I  smiled  at  the  needlessness  of  the  direction,  and  thought  it 
must  be  one  of  my  father's  jests  —  he  dearly  loved  a  jest  — 
but  I  wondered  a  little  how  Peggy's  letter  could  have  come  into 
his  possession  even  long  enough  for  him  to  add  the  instructions. 
Then  I  thought  that  possibly  my  father  had  himself  proposed 
the  plan  to  Peggy  to  give  me  so  pleasant  a  surprise,  and  had 

31 


32  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

had  her  forward  her  letter  to  him  that  he  might  deliver  it  with 
his  own  to  the  captain.  I  glowed  with  gratitude  to  my  father 
at  the  thought,  and  then  I  lost  no  more  time  but  opened  Peggy's 
letter. 

At  the  rery  opening  words  my  heart  stood  still.  My  eyes 
were  blurred  and  so  dazed  was  I  that  for  the  moment  I  could 
read  no  further.  Then  I  gathered  myself  together  and  read 
on  desperately.  It  was  but  a  brief  letter  but  every  word  was 
a  dagger: 

"  SIR  LINEL  :  This  leter  is  writ  at  your  fother's  reqest.  It 
is  to  enform  you  that  when  you  reseeve  this  i  will  be  marede  to 
sir  Charles  Townsby  who  has  courted  me  for  menny  years.  I 
pray  your  fergivness,  sir  linel.  I  did  like  you  but  yure  fother 
wuld  never  let  us  mary.  In  wun  thing  i  have  deseeved  you.  I 
am  much  older  than  you  think,  much  much  tu  old  to  be  yr 
Wife. 

"  Yrs  truly 

"  PEGGY  WOLVERTON"  (TOWNSBY). 

"P.  S.  I  tried  to  tell  you  that  last  night  on  the  char,  but  I 
koulden  find  the  hart.  "  PEGGY." 

How  long  I  stood  leaning  on  the  taffrail,  my  eyes  glued  to 
those  baleful  words,  I  know  not.  When  at  last  I  came  to 
myself  a  little,  I  crushed  the  letter  in  my  hand  and  rushed  to 
my  cabin,  head  down,  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the 
left  lest  someone  read  the  misery  in  my  eyes.  I  threw  myself 
on  my  bunk  and  lay  there  a  long  time  with  little  sensation  of 
any  kind  but  a  dull  ache.  I  could  not  believe  it,  I  would  not 
believe  it.  Then  as  I  went  over,  in  my  mind,  every  word  of 
Peggy's  letter,  conviction  was  forced  upon  me. 

I  had  met  that  Sir  Charles  Townsby,  met  him  dangling  at 
Peggy's  heels  when  I  first  saw  her  in  Oxford.  I  remembered 
him  only  as  a  disreputable-looking  fellow,  decidedly  seedy,  and 
favoring  me  with  some  very  ugly  scowls  as  I  showed  my  open 
infatuation  for  Peggy.  A  sudden  thought  struck  me.  It 
brought  me  some  comfort,  though  I  am  ashamed  to  confess  it. 


A  GLANCE  THAT  HAUNTS  ME  33 

My  father  had  forced  Peggy  to  marry  Sir  Charles  to  prevent 
her  marrying  me. 

For  a  few  minutes  I  was  as  bitterly  angry  with  my  father  as 
if  I  knew  this  to  be  the  truth  and  not  merely  a  conjecture  on 
my  part.  Peggy  had  certainly  loved  me  —  it  was  impossible 
to  feign  so  well.  And  to  make  my  anguish  more  poignant  I 
recalled  every  sweet  token  of  her  love  in  the  six  weeks  I  had 
known  her,  and  groaned  aloud.  Sir  Charles  Townsby!  I 
loathed  the  thought.  It  was  my  father's  doing,  I  raged;  no 
living  woman,  least  of  all  my  dainty  Peggy,  could  prefer  such 
a  man. 

It  was  hours  before  I  had  the  heart  to  open  my  father's 
letter  and  when  I  did  read  it  every  word  made  me  wince.  It 
was  a  very  tender  letter,  but  its  very  tenderness  was  gall  and 
wormwood  to  my  open  wounds.  It  was  partly  as  I  thought. 
My  father  had  not  forced  Peggy  to  marry  Sir  Charles,  but  he 
had  used  some  means  to  compel  her  to  break  off  with  me.  This 
he  confessed  to  me  and  rehearsed  in  brief  the  conversation  to 
the  disturbing  effect  of  which  on  Peggy  I  had  been  witness  on 
Show  Sunday. 

My  father  wrote: 

" '  Either,  Miss  Wolverton,'  I  said  to  her,  '  you  will  put  an 
end  to  this  affair  with  my  son,  or  I  will  report  to  him  what  I 
know  of  that  old  affair  with  Harry  Thornleigh  and  Sir  Charles 
Townsby.' 

" '  What  do  you  know  of  it  ? '  asked  Peggy,  looking  up  at  me 
with  the  glance  under  her  long  lashes  that  she  considers  fetch 
ing,  and  that,  indeed,  has  proved  itself  so  with  many  a  man. 

"  '  I  know  all/  I  answered  impressively.  Then  Peggy  pouted 
and  began  to  beg. 

" '  You  could  not  be  so  mean,  Lord  Marchmont.' 

" '  I  could,'  I  answered  firmly. 

" '  Then  you  have  changed  greatly  from  the  Lord  Marchmont 
I  knew  fifteen  years  ago/  in  her  archest  manner. 

" '  I  have  changed  in  one  respect,  Miss  Wolverton,'  I  said. 
'  The  wiles  used  upon  the  son  do  not  seem  to  me  half  so  alluring 
as  when  they  were  used  upon  the  father.' 
3 


34  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  She  smiled  and  looked  pleased. 

" '  And  no  doubt/  I  added,  '  they  are  not  quite  as  effective 
as  they  were  then.  Fifteen  years  is  a  long  time  in  a  woman's 
life,  and  are  bound  to  leave  their  devastating  traces  on  a  woman's 
charms.' 

"  This  made  her  furious,  as,  indeed,  I  knew  it  would  and 
intended  it  should. 

" '  You  cannot  expect,  sir,  that  I  will  be  anxious  to  grant 
your  request  to  me  in  return  for  a  deliberate  insult  from  you,' 
she  said  haughtily. 

" '  No,  Peggy/  I  said  —  everybody  called  her  Peggy  fifteen 
years  ago,  and  perhaps  they  do  still  — '  I  do  not  expect  you  to  be 
anxious  to  grant  my  request,  but  I  expect  you  to  grant  it.'  And 
then  I  proceeded  to  give  her  some  very  cogent  reasons  why  she 
should  do  so.  I  convinced  her,  finally,  and  we  came  to  terms. 
I  made  it  a  part  of  the  contract  that  she  should  inform  you 
by  letter  that  she  did  not  love  you  and  did  not  wish  to  marry 
you,  and  that  the  letter  should  be  sent  to  me  to  be  delivered  to 
you  when  I  saw  fit.  I  arranged  with  Captain.  Skinner  that 
neither  of  these  letters  should  be  delivered  to  you  until  you 
were  well  away  from  Le  Havre,  fearing  that  your  ardent  temper 
would  impel  you  to  return  and  try  to  reverse  Miss  Wolverton's 
decision  if  there  were  any  possibility  of  a  return." 

And  then  my  father  added : 

"  My  son,  you  may  think  I  have  taken  an  unwarrantable  lib 
erty  in  interfering  with  your  love  affair,  but  Miss  Wolverton 
did  not  think  so.  She  knew  that  I  knew  that  of  her  that  would 
warrant  any  father  in  the  course  I  am  taking.  She  is  in  every 
way  unworthy  of  you ;  try  to  forget  her.  I  do  not  know  the  con 
tents  of  her  letter  to  you,  but  if  she  has  kept  to  her  bargain  and 
told  you  that  she  will  not  marry  you,  then  I  will  never  reveal 
that  which  I  know  of  her.  If  she  has  not  kept  to  her  bargain, 
I  will  some  day  tell  you  what  will,  I  am  sure,  finally  destroy 
all  love  for  her.  But  if  she  has  kept  to  her  promise,  then  say 
to  yourself  —  would  any  true  woman  lightly  give  up  the  man 
she  loved  at  the  bidding  of  another?  That  in  itself  ought  to 
be  proof  to  you  of  her  unworthiness." 


A  GLANCE  THAT  HAUNTS  ME  35 

Then  followed  a  few  words  of  sympathy,  simply  expressed, 
but  coming  from  my  father,  who  had  never  used  such  words 
to  me,  they  meant  much.  He  said  also  that  he  rejoiced  greatly 
that  I  was  to  have  these  two  years  in  a  foreign  land,  filled,  as 
they  doubtless  would  be,  with  strange  adventures.  There  could 
be  no  better  panacea  he  was  sure,  for  such  a  hurt  as  I  had  re 
ceived. 

I  could  not  tell,  when  I  had  finished  reading  his  letter, 
whether  I  was  more  angered  by  it  or  soothed.  I  was  in  no 
state  of  mind  to  be  willing  to  believe  the  horrible  things  of 
Peggy  my  father  intimated.  I  scorned  to  believe  them !  Had 
there  been  anything  in  our  intercourse  ever  to  suggest  that  she 
could  be  so  base?  Then  it  flashed  into  my  mind  that  our 
"  intercourse  "  had  been  but  an  intermittent  one  of  six  weeks' 
duration,  not  a  long  time  in  which  to  exhaust  the  capabilities 
of  a  human  soul  — "  especially  a  woman's,"  I  added  to  myself 
bitterly. 

It  was  my  first  real  feeling  of  anger  toward  Peggy ;  heretofore 
it  had  been  all  for  my  father.  But  my  anger  soon  turned  on 
my  father  again.  With  a  sudden  flash  of  suspicion  I  believed 
the  "cogent  reasons  "  that  he  had  used  with  Peggy  were  money. 
He  had  bought  her  off!  For  five  minutes  I  was  in  a  towering 
rage  with  my  father  till  the  tide  turned  again  and  the  sober 
truth  came  home  to  me  that  a  woman  who  could  be  bought 
was  not  the  woman  for  me  —  was  the  basest  of  all  women. 

Three  miserable  days  I  spent  in  such  unhappy  swinging  of 
the  pendulum  from  anger  with  my  father  to  doubt  and  distrust 
of  Peggy,  and  more  than  once  I  seriously  contemplated  the 
advisability  of  throwing  myself  overboard  and  so  putting  an  end 
to  an  existence  which,  with  the  hopelessness  of  youth,  I  was 
sure  would  never  be  anything  but  a  burden  to  myself  and  a 
weariness  to  my  friends.  The  possibility  that  happiness  could 
ever  return  to  me  I  did  not  for  a  moment  consider. 

To  all  messages  of  inquiry  from  the  captain  I  sent  back 
word  that  I  was  suffering  with  mal  de  mer,  which,  as  a  strong 
nor'easter  was  blowing,  and  the  sea  running  high,  and  more  than 
half  the  passengers  abed,  need  not  seem  incredible  to  the  cap- 


36  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

tain;  especially  if  any  of  the  messengers  he  sent  reported  to 
him  the  haggard  looks  and  wild  eyes  and  speech  of  the  man 
they  always  found  tossing  restlessly  on  his  bunk. 

But  toward  the  end  of  the  third  day,  the  storm  apparently 
increasing  in  violence,  the  weird  sound  of  the  wind  whistling 
through  the  shrouds  coming  down  to  me  in  my  cabin,  and  I 
tossing  in  my  bunk,  not  now  with  anguish  of  soul  but  with  the 
violence  of  the  motion  of  the  boat,  I  began  to  long  for  the 
society  of  my  fellows.  And  at  that  moment  through  the  key 
hole,  or  by  some  other  entrance,  came  the  fragrance  of  broiling 
ham.  Now  to  a  man  who  has  been  fed  for  three  days  on  broths 
and  other  sick  food,  and  but  little  of  that  from  a  supposed 
illness  which  makes  all  food  distasteful,  I  know  no  fragrance 
more  delightful.  I  could  hear,  too,  the  clatter  of  dishes  in 
the  ship's  saloon  —  they  were  preparing  the  evening  meal.  I 
made  a  hasty  resolve  to  seclude  myself  no  longer.  I  rose  from 
my  bunk,  made  a  hurried  but  careful  toilet  and  walked  out 
into  the  saloon. 

They  were  already  seated  at  table,  such  of  the  ship's  pas 
sengers,  that  is  to  say,  as  were  in  a  plight  to  be,  which  was 
not  many  —  scarcely  a  dozen  in  all.  Now  I  had  felt  not  the 
slightest  qualm  of  that  illness  I  had  claimed  to  be  suffering 
from,  doubtless  because,  although  this  was  my  first  sea  voyage, 
Clover  Combe  Court  lay  on  the  Devonshire  coast  and  from 
earliest  boyhood  I  had  been  free  of  the  fishermen's  boats  at 
Clover  Combe  and  had  grown  to  be  as  much  at  home  on  water 
as  on  land. 

The  captain  was  seated  at  the  head  of  the  table  and  at  one 
side  of  him  sat  the  big  American.  I  had  forgotten  his  exist 
ence  in  the  last  three  days,  and  at  sight  of  him  I  was  struck 
once  more  by  the  size  and  beauty  of  the  man.  There  was  a 
vacant  seat  beside  him,  as  there  were  many  other  vacant  seats, 
and  the  captain,  catching  sight  of  me,  hailed  me. 

"What  ho,  Sir  Lionel!  You  have  found  your  sea  legs  in 
the  height  of  the  storm !  Not  such  a  bad  sailor  after  all. 
Here  is  your  seat,  sir,  been  staring  at  us  for  three  days  like  a 
hungry  dog  waiting  for  its  bone.  Sit  down,  sir,  sit  down," 


A  GLANCE  THAT  HAUNTS  ME  37 

and  he  waved  me  to  the  seat  beside  the  yellow-haired  Ameri 
can. 

His  voice  was  none  of  the  softest  on  any  occasion,  but  owing 
to  the  noise  of  the  storm  he  had  bellowed  at  me  as  if  he  were 
shouting  orders  through  a  fog  horn.  As  I  took  my  seat  he 
introduced  me  to  my  neighbor,  but  either  from  the  way  he 
shouted  it,  or  from  the  clatter  and  banging  of  everything  in 
the  cabin,  or,  more  like,  from  still  another  cause,  I  did  not 
catch  it. 

The  other  cause  was  that,  just  as  I  turned  to  take  my  seat, 
I  intercepted  a  startled  glance  from  two  soft  brown  eyes  opposite. 
Seated  on  the  other  side  of  the  captain  was  the  mysterious 
French  lady  of  whose  auburn  locks  and  beautiful  eyes  I  had 
caught  a  glimpse  through  her  veil  at  Le  Havre.  Why  she 
should  be  so  startled  by  my  appearance  I  could  not  guess.  I 
hoped  that  my  haggard  looks,  of  which  I  had  suddenly  become 
uncomfortably  conscious,  had  not  alarmed  her.  Still  more  I 
could  not  understand  why,  as  I  let  my  eyes  meet  hers  for  a 
moment,  that  deep  blush  should  overspread  the  creamy  white 
ness  of  her  face,  rising  to  her  very  temples,  while  her  eyes 
fell  on  her  plate  in  visible  embarrassment. 

The  captain  presented  me  to  her  also,  and  this  time  I  caught 
the  name  —  Mademoiselle  Desloge  of  Paris.  I  bowed,  and 
Mademoiselle  barely  lifted  her  eyes  as  far  as  the  tip  of  my  lace 
tie  in  response  to  my  salutation,  while  another  wave  of  crimson 
inundated  her  face. 

It  was  most  remarkable,  and  I  believe  my  seat-mate  thought 
so  too,  for  I  have  no  doubt  it  was  for  the  sake  of  covering 
her  embarrassment  that  he  began  in  French  —  in  which  lan 
guage  the  three  had  been  conversing  when  I  entered  —  some 
lively  remarks  about  the  storm.  I  had  to  confess  that  I  did 
not  understand  French,  and  I  know  not  why  it  should  have 
occasioned  me  any  mortification  to  do  so,  but  it  did. 

"  I  had  a  French  governess  when  I  was  a  lad,"  I  said  in 
excuse  for  myself,  "but  I  always  despised  the  language  and 
thought  it  an  unmanly  affectation  to  be  able  to  speak  it  fluently. 
So  I  learned  as  little  of  it  as  possible  and  promptly  forgot 


38  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

what  little  I  learned,  and  at  Oxford,  you  know,  they  do  not 
teach  it.  Of  course  I  regret  it  now." 

My  neighbor  laughed  at  my  excuse,  but  he  seemed  much 
interested  at  my  mention  of  Oxford  and  said  he  had  desired 
greatly  to  visit  England,  and  one  of  the  things  he  had  most 
desired  to  do  there  had  been  to  visit  that  ancient  seat  of  learn 
ing. 

As  politely  as  I  knew  how  I  hinted  a  question  as  to  why  he 
had  not  done  so,  but  his  face  clouded  in  a  moment. 

"  I  am  hurrying  home,  Sir  Lionel,  on  a  hasty  summons  from 
my  mother.  My  father  is  ill,"  he  said  briefly,  and  I  hastened  to 
apologize  for  my  question  and  to  express  my  sympathy.  He 
received  both  apologies  and  expressions  of  sympathy  with  a 
bow,  and  to  change  the  theme  to  a  less  unhappy  one,  I  spoke 
of  being  a  witness  to  his  conquest  of  his  horse,  and  I  rather 
glowed  over  the  beauty  of  the  animal  and  his  mastery  of  it. 

"  He  must  have  grown  up  with  you  from  colthood,"  I  said, 
"  to  be  so  submissive  to  your  slightest  word  and  touch,  for  he 
seemed  a  dangerous  fellow  when  those  four  men  were  trying  to 
get  him  aboard." 

"  No,"  he  said,  "  he  is  not  dangerous  as  a  rule ;  but  he  was 
beside  himself  with  fright.  He  has  been  in  my  possession  but 
a  week,  but  he  is  of  so  fine  a  temper  and  spirit  that  in  that 
week  he  has  come  to  know  me  and  love  me  and  obey  me  like 
an  old  friend." 

From  that  we  fell  to  talking  of  horses,  and  it  being  a  sub 
ject  in  which  we  both  delighted  we  were  soon  feeling  on  familiar 
terms  of  acquaintance.  The  captain  joined  in  occasionally  with 
questions  or  remarks  which  showed  he  knew  nothing  of  horses, 
but  displaying  always  a  quaint  good  sense  that  I  believe  to  be 
common  to  seamen,  and  particularly  to  Yankee  seamen,  as  I 
have  come  to  know  them. 

But  the  captain  hurried  away  a  few  minutes  after  my  arrival. 
His  place  was  on  deck,  he  said,  in  nor'east  storms,  and  I  was 
left  with  only  the  American  to  talk  to,  for  of  course  I  could 
address  no  word  to  my  beautiful  vis-a-vis,  having  no  French 
at  my  command.  The  American,  however,  feeling,  no  doubt, 


A  GLANCE  THAT  HAUNTS  ME       39 

that  she  must  not  be  left  entirely  to  herself,  addressed  her  sev 
eral  times  in  what  struck  me  as  very  fluent  French.  Her  replies 
were  brief  and  still  with  an  air  of  embarrassment,  but  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life  I  recognized  what  I  had  often  heard  spoken 
of  as  the  rhythmical  beauty  of  the  French  tongue. 

Very  shortly  Mademoiselle,  too,  excused  herself,  rising  hur 
riedly  from  the  table,  and  I,  having  a  three  days'  appetite  to 
satisfy,  and  not  liking  to  show  my  eagerness  for  food  in  the  pres 
ence  of  those  beautiful  eyes  (once  I  had  caught  her  furtively 
looking  at  me),  was  not  altogether  sorry  to  see  her  go. 

But  as  she  was  turning  away  from  her  chair  some  sudden 
impulse  seemed  to  move  her:  she  turned  quickly  back  and  for 
the  fraction  of  a  second  gazed  straight  into  my  eyes  with  a 
look  that  was  friendly,  merry,  daring  and  quizzing  all  in  one. 

I  must  have  shown  my  astonishment  in  my  eyes  at  this  un 
expected  freak  of  hers,  for  the  wave  of  embarrassment  swept 
over  her  face  again,  she  stooped  hurriedly  on  pretense  of  pick 
ing  up  a  handkerchief  she  had  dropped  —  I  believed  it  was  only 
a  pretense  —  and  fled  swiftly  to  her  own  cabin. 

Where  had  I  seen  a  look  like  that  in  a  woman's  eyes  before? 
It  haunted  me  for  full  five  minutes;  then  I  gave  it  up  and 
concluded  that  all  women  were  alike  —  doubtless  Peggy's  dark 
eyes  had  often  looked  just  such  a  saucy  challenge  into  mine. 


IV 

I  PRACTISE  MY  FRENCH  AND  DISCOVER  MY  PAINS  ARE  NEEDLESS 

THAT  evening  my  new  acquaintance,  the  big  American,  and 
I  sat  out  on  deck  in  the  lee  of  the  cabin  for  a  full  hour, 
enjoying  the  majesty  of  the  storm  and  finding  many  matters 
of  mutual  interest  on  which  to  converse,  when  the  thunder  of 
the  waves  pounding  on  the  deck,  and  often  breaking  over  us  in 
spray,  and  the  roar  of  the  wind  whistling  through  the  shrouds 
and  driving  our  boat  before  it  with  only  the  flying  jib  and  one 
top  sail  set,  would  permit.  I  learned  much  of  my  companion's 
history  and  told  him  much  of  mine,  but  they  were  only  such 
parts  of  our  lives  as  were  open  to  the  inspection  of  all  men  — 
neither  of  us,  until  long  after,  touched  upon  the  great  story  of 
our  lives,  the  story  of  our  loves. 

I  was  surprised,  and  a  little  disgusted  the  next  morning,  to 
find  myself  in  a  comparatively  cheerful  frame  of  mind.  What 
right  had  I  to  feel  even  a  passing  moment  of  cheerfulness  when 
my  heart  was  crushed  under  the  heaviest  weight  of  woe  that 
had  ever  fallen  on  a  poor  mortal !  Moreover,  to  my  yet  greater 
disgust,  I  found  myself,  at  unguarded  moments,  looking  forward 
with  something  like  interest  to  meeting  at  breakfast  my  two 
table  companions  of  the  night  before.  I  had  never  expected, 
and  did  not  desire,  to  feel  any  interest  in  any  human  being 
again.  It  was  bad  enough  to  be  feeling  pleasure  at  the  thought 
of  meeting  the  American,  but  I  could  not  conceal  from  myself 
that  I  was  also  looking  forward  with  something  like  interest  to 
meeting  the  Frenchwoman. 

"  It  is  curiosity,"  I  said  to  myself ;  "  an  emotion  much  to  be 
despised,  but  responsible  for  my  wondering  whether  the  creature 
will  favor  me  with  another  of  her  peculiar  glances.  Doubtless 
she  is  one  of  those  bold  French  coquettes,  of  whose  wiles  I  have 

40 


I  PRACTISE  MY  FRENCH  41 

heard  much,  who  takes  me  to  be  an  easy  victim  of  her  blandish 
ments/'  And  I  gloated  to  myself  a  little  over  her  dismay 
when  she  should  discover  herself  so  greatly  mistaken,  and  that  it 
was  a  heart  of  stone,  henceforth  and  forever  impervious  to  all 
women's  wiles,  that  she  was  vainly  practising  her  arts  upon. 

It  was  somewhat  to  my  disappointment,  therefore,  that  Miss 
Desloge  did  not  appear  at  breakfast  —  I  was  rather  anxious  for 
an  opportunity  to  show  her  I  was  not  the  easy  dupe  she  had 
taken  me  for.  When  she  did  not  appear  at  dinner,  nor  at 
supper,  nor  at  any  meal  for  the  three  days  following,  my  un 
easiness  grew  to  an  extent  that  could  not  be  concealed  from 
myself,  and  I  feared  might,  at  times,  be  perceptible  to  others. 
When  I  ventured,  in  the  most  casual  way,  to  inquire  for  her 
of  the  captain,  it  seemed  to  me  that  he  returned  only  an  evasive 
answer.  I  heard  him  mumble  something  like  "  seasickness,  I 
suppose,"  but  it  was  only  mumbled  since  it  was  uttered  through 
a  mouth  half  filled  with  ham  and  potato. 

Moreover,  it  could  not  be  seasickness,  since  the  very  evening 
of  my  inquiry  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  her  (I  could  not  be  mis 
taken  in  the  elegance  of  her  figure  and  the  proud  poise  of  her 
head)  leaning  on  the  taffrail  and  gazing  off  toward  the  shores 
we  had  left  behind  us.  The  violence  of  the  storm  had  abated ; 
for  the  first  time  since  sailing  we  had  a  clear  sky  and  a  sunset  of 
surpassing  beauty.  In  the  rose-hued  sea  the  setting  sun  had 
left  behind  it,  swam  the  silver  crescent  of  the  new  moon 
and  just  above  it  glowed  the  pale  gold  star  of  Venus.  It  was 
inevitable  that  I  should  recall  the  last  time  that  I  had  seen  the 
star  and  crescent,  hanging  over  the  brow  of  Edge  Hill  on  my 
way  to  Stratford  and  Peggy.  And  in  as  melancholy  a  mood  as 
Miss  Desloge  seemed  to  be,  I  leaned  on  the  traffrail  and  gazed 
back  toward  the  shores,  long  since  vanished  in  the  east,  where 
Peggy  dwelt.  For  the  moment  all  her  perfidy  was  forgotten, 
only  the  memory  of  her  immortal  charms  remained  to  me,  her 
dear,  enticing  ways,  her  tender  smile,  her  joyous  laugh,  the  pres 
sure  of  her  little  hand. 

When  I  came  to  myself  and  remembered  that  there  was  no 
longer  any  dear  and  dainty  little  Peggy  Wolverton,  only  a 


42  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

coarse-minded  Lady  Townsby,  who  had  sold  her  charms  to  a 
monster  in  exchange  for  a  title,  I  shuddered  and  lifted  my  head. 
The  silver  crescent  had  already  sunk  into  the  western  sea  and 
Peggy's  star  and  mine  was  fast  sliding  down  into  the  watery 
abyss.  "  Well,  let  the  waves  overwhelm  it ! "  I  said  to  myself 
bitterly ;  "  let  it  sink  never  to  rise  again ! "  and  then,  by  some 
suggestion  I  did  not  recognize,  I  looked  around  for  the  French 
woman,  whom  for  the  time  I  had  forgotten. 

She  had  vanished.  The  decks  were  deserted.  A  bleak  wind 
had  sprung  up  with  the  setting  of  the  sun  and  the  brightly 
lighted  cabin  looked  inviting.  I  went  in  and  found  my  Amer 
ican,  and  the  noisy  mirth  of  the  passengers  —  now  fully  recov 
ered  from  their  illness  —  being  pleasing  to  neither  of  us,  we 
took  our  pipes  to  his  cabin,  which  was  more  commodious  and 
with  more  luxurious  furnishings  than  mine,  and  there,  as  com 
fortable  as  one  could  hope  to  be  at  sea,  we  grew  more  and  more 
friendly  over  our  pipes,  our  talk  hovering  around  the  verge  of 
the  topic  absorbing  us  both,  but  skimming  lightly  away  from  it 
as  it  found  itself  too  near  the  precipice. 

I  had  only  college  tales  to  tell  him  and,  for  adventures,  the 
following  of  the  hounds  at  Clover  Combe  Court,  but  he  had 
real  adventures  to  tell,  of  life  on  the  frontier  in  America  and 
later  as  an  aide  to  Bonaparte  in  France,  that  sent  my  blood 
coursing  faster  in  my  veins.  He  looked  like  one  born  for  great 
deeds  and  high  adventure,  I  said  to  myself,  and  he  had  not 
belied  his  looks. 

It  was  a  week  later  that  I  told  my  story  to  the  American  as 
we  paced  the  deck  together.  The  moon,  well  on  in  its  first  quar 
ter,  illuminated  the  ship  with  its  soft  radiance,  not  too  brilliant 
to  extinguish  the  stars  which  had  begun  to  change  their  places 
in  the  heavens  as  our  course  lay  farther  south.  I  was  struck 
in  particular  with  the  fact  that  Scorpio  was  riding  so  high.  I 
did  not  remember  ever  before  seeing  the  twin  stars  in  the  tip  of 
its  tail.  But  looking  at  Scorpio  must  needs  remind  me  of 
Peggy  and  our  last  night  in  Stratford  when  Antares  glowered 
at  me  over  the  roof  of  the  Eed  Horse  as  I  came  home  so  late. 

And  before  I  knew  it  my  story  was  out.     I  waxed  eloquent  in 


I  PRACTISE  MY  FRENCH  43 

the  telling  of  it,  and  I  have  no  doubt  I  made  Peggy  out  the 
most  divine  creature  the  world  had  ever  seen.  Certainly  I 
spared  no  sable  tints  in  painting  my  own  woes;  though  I  dwelt 
not  on  them  long,  every  line  was  laid  in  deepest  dye.  There 
was  no  future  for  me.  This  exile  that  I  had  entered  upon,  look 
ing  forward  to  its  happy  termination  in  two  years,  I  was  now 
sure  would  be  a  perpetual  one.  I  did  not  believe  I  would  ever 
care  to  return  to  a  land  where  I  had  so  loved  and  suffered, 
where  every  tree  and  brook  and  bird  and  flower  would  be  but 
a  reminder  of  Peggy,  and  where  at  any  moment  I  would  be  in 
danger  of  coming  face  to  face  with  her. 

The  American  could  not  have  been  more  than  two  or  three 
years  older  than  I,  yet  in  many  ways,  I  can  see  now,  he  was 
vastly  my  senior  in  experience  and  judgment.  He  listened  to  me 
courteously  and,  indeed,  with  a  genuine  sympathy  that  could 
not  be  mistaken.  He  knew  how  to  say  the  right  word  in  the 
right  way,  neither  too  much  nor  too  little,  and  he  made  me  the 
most  generous  return  possible  for  my  confidence :  he  gave  me 
his  own. 

Also,  the  telling  of  his  story  was  the  best  medicine  he  could 
have  administered  to  my  wound,  in  every  detail  it  was  so  dif 
ferent  from  mine.  He  had  loved  above  his  rank,  or  so  he  said, 
a  Princess  of  Conde,  whom  he  met  in  St.  Louis  in  Spanish 
America,  and  whom  he  had  afterwards  met  in  Paris.  He  had 
never  had  any  hopes,  but  no  one  could  know  her  as  he  had  known 
her,  without  loving  her,  even  to  his  own  undoing.  She  had  fled 
from  Paris  and  from  the  persecutions  of  Bonaparte  just  before 
he  himself  had  left  France.  She  had  gone,  accompanied  by 
the  Prince  de  Polignac,  to  seek  refuge  with  her  cousin  the 
young  Due  d'  Enghiem  in  Baden,  and  he  would  have  no  means 
of  knowing  whether  she  had  arrived  in  safety  for  weeks.  The 
prince  had  promised  to  write  him  and  he  hoped  to  hear  within 
a  week  or  two  after  his  arrival  in  America,  but  in  the  meantime 
he  was  suffering  great  anxiety  and  he  could  hardly  be  more  sor 
rowfully  anxious  over  the  condition  in  which  he  should  find  his 
father  on  his  return  home,  than  he  was  as  to  the  tidings  that  he 
might  receive  from  the  prince.  Bonaparte  was  a  tirelesa  foe 


44  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

and  he  would  not  easily  let  so  rich  a  prize  as  the  Countess  of 
Baloit  escape  him. 

This  was  a  wonderful  array  of  great  names  he  let  slip  so 
easily  through  his  lips,  and  I  was  well  enough  versed  in  the  his 
tory  of  my  times  to  know  how  great.  I  even  remembered  hear 
ing  of  the  return  of  the  Countess  de  Baloit  to  Paris  and  the 
plans  Bonaparte  had  made  for  her  marriage.  My  own  story 
seemed  small  and  mean  by  comparison.  I  began  to  fear  I  had  not 
loved  worthily,  and  to  realize  that  it  was  better  to  look  too  high 
than  too  low,  and  I  really  believe  it  did  more  to  set  Peggy  in  her 
true  light  with  me  than  anything  else  could  have  done,  for  I 
could  not  help  comparing  her  with  the  Countess  de  Baloit  as 
the.  American  had  painted  her  —  a  woman  as  noble  in  character 
as  in  rank  —  and  I  did  not  wonder  at  the  settled  melancholy  in 
my  friend's  face  and  manner,  since  I  did  not  doubt  his  love  was 
as  hopeless  as  it  seemed. 

It  was  on  the  same  evening  that  another  incident  occurred 
that  I  believe  also  helped  to  dim  the  brilliant  colors  in  which 
Peggy's  image  had  hitherto  shone.  For  several  days  now, 
Mademoiselle  Desloge  had  been  quite  regular  at  her  meals.  If 
she  had  been  suffering  with  tnal  de,  mer  she  had  fully  recovered, 
for  though  she  vouchsafed  me  only  a  bow  of  the  coldest,  with 
no  hint  of  a  smile  accompanying  it,  and  no  signs  of  coquetry  in 
her  red  brown  eyes,  I  could  see  for  myself  that  she  ate  with 
good  appetite  and  that  her  cheeks  bore  the  hue  of  health:  that 
faint  tinge  of  rose  that  is  the  attribute  of  a  creamy  skin  like 
hers. 

Although  she  greeted  me  coldly,  she  was  graciousness  itself 
to  the  captain  and  the  American,  conversing  freely  with  them  in 
French,  which  began  to  have  a  maddening  effect  on  me,  since 
it  shut  me  off  to  my  own  cogitations,  which  were  not  always 
the  cheerfulest,  or  abandoned  me  to  the  mercies  of  two  cockney 
Englishmen,  one  beside  me  and  one  opposite,  both  bound  on  a 
business  trip  to  the  United  States.  I  resolved  to  recall  what 
I  could  of  my  forgotten  French  that  I  might  be  able  to  join,  by 
a  word  or  a  phrase,  at  least,  in  the  conversation  going  on  at  the 
head  of  the  table. 


I  PRACTISE  MY  FRENCH  45 

To  that  end,  while  apparently  absorbed  in  the  contents  of  my 
plate,  I  began  to  listen  intently,  and  even  painfully,  to  their 
discourse,  and  much  to  my  delight  I  discovered  that  I  could  un 
derstand  enough  of  it  to  follow  the  gist  of  what  they  were  say 
ing.  I  even  began  to  formulate  in  my  mind  slow  and  labored 
replies,  of  the  tritest,  to  some  of  their  speeches.  It  was  coming 
back  to  me,  and  for  the  next  three  days  I  spent  an  hour  in  my 
cabin  writing  out  imaginary  conversations  in  execrable  French. 
I  even  pressed  the  American  into  my  service.  I  told  him  how 
much  I  began  to  regret  the  neglect  of  my  French  and  begged 
him  to  converse  with  me  at  intervals,  slowly  and  simply  as  he 
would  with  a  child,  and  perhaps  I  could  recover  some  of  it. 
And  being  the  soul  of  good,  nature  he  complied,  and  I  was  be 
ginning  to  gain  a  certain  amount  of  fluency  and  confidence. 

It  was  on  the  evening  when  the  American  and  I  had  opened 
our  souls  to  one  another  that  I  ventured  to  try  on  Mademoiselle 
the  French  I  had  been  practising  so  diligently  for  three  days. 
It  was  a  balmy  evening,  we  had  a  free  wind  and  a  flowing  sea, 
and  our  ship,  graceful  and  swift  as  the  sea  gull  for  which  it 
was  named,  went  bounding  over  the  waves  like  a  thing  of  life, 
dipping  into  the  trough  and  rising  to  the  next  crest,  with  a  mo 
tion  as  free  and  graceful  as  my  hunter  Sport's  when  he  takes 
fences  and  ditches  in  flight  after  the  hounds. 

The  American  and  I  had  been  pacing  the  deck  as  we  talked, 
and  several  times  we  had  passed  the  captain  and  Mademoiselle 
Desloge,  Mademoiselle  seated  on  a  low  capstan  and  the  captain 
standing  beside  her.  He  was  explaining  the  rigging,  sails  and 
ropes  to  her,  as  was  easy  to  discover  without  any  great  effort  on 
the  part  of  a  passerby.  But  as  we  came  up  to  them  for  the 
third  time  the  captain  called  to  my  companion  that  he  was  ready 
to  explain  the  problem  in  navigation  he  had  been  discussing 
with  the  American  the  day  before,  if  he  would  step  to  his  cabin 
with  him  for  a  few  minutes.  He  responded  to  the  captain's 
invitation  with  alacrity  and  both  of  them  excusing  themselves 
to  Mademoiselle  Desloge,  they  went  away,  leaving  her  on  my 
hands. 

Now  was  my  chance.     I  had  long  since  concluded  I  had  been 


46  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

mistaken  about  the  coquetry  I  thought  I  had  discovered  on  my 
first  meeting  with  Mademoiselle,  but  all  the  more  was  I  puzzled 
as  I  remembered  that  look,  and  it  made  me  the  more  eager,  I 
think,  to  have  some  acquaintance  with  her  and  discover  what  her 
glance  had  meant ;  for  I  was  quite  sure  now  that  it  had  a  mean 
ing;  that  it  had  been  given  with  intention  and  was  no  idle  hu 
mor.  I  had  not  responded  to  it  properly  and  so  there  had  never 
been  another. 

In  my  labored  and  halting  French,  therefore,  where  the  accent, 
I  fancy,  was  even  worse  than  the  grammar,  I  began : 

"II  fait  beau  temps,  ce  soir,  Mademoiselle,  mais  ausgi,  il 
fait  chaud.  Woudriez  vous  avoir  le  bonte  faire  un  prom 
enade  du  naviro  avec  moi  ?  Je  pense  quil  f era  plus  de  f raicheur 
en  marchont,  n'est  ce  pas  ?  " 

Why  I  should  have  made  my  opening  sentence  so  long,  I 
know  not.  Perhaps  I  thought  I  would  have  no  chance  to  make 
another  and  I  would  use  my  whole  vocabulary  at  once,  for 
Mademoiselle  had  heretofore  treated  me  only  to  most  distant 
bows. 

She  was  as  courteous,  no  doubt,  as  the  French  are  proverbially 
supposed  to  be,  but  she  could  not  quite  suppress  a  little  twinkle 
of  amusement  in  her  soft  dark  eyes  at  my  labored  French.  She 
did  not  interrupt  me,  but  waited  till  I  had  quite  finished  and 
then  replied  in  English  as  perfect  as  my  French  was  poor,  with 
perhaps  the  slightest  accent,  but  only  enough  to  add  a  charm  of 
its  own  to  the  thrush-like  quality  of  her  voice. 

"  Thank  you,  Sir  Lionel,"  she  said ;  "  you  are  very  good.  Yes, 
I  think  walking  would  be  pleasanter  than  sitting  still  this  warm 
evening." 

She  rose  as  she  spoke,  but  I  was  so  petrified  with  my  discov 
ery  that  she  spoke  English  so  fluently,  and  so  mortified  over  my 
needless  attempt  at  French,  that  instead  of  offering  her  my  arm 
I  stood  stock  still  and  looked  at  her. 

"  Why  did  you  not  tell  me  long  ago  that  you  spoke  English  ?  " 
I  blurted  out. 

She  was  not  offended  at  my  bluffness ;  she  only  smiled. 

"I  do  not  think  Sir  Lionel  has  ever  given  me  a  chance  to 


I  PEACTISE  MY  FRENCH  47 

tell  him  anything,"  she  said  in  that  adorable  voice  of  hers, 
where  now  I  could  detect  the  merry  gurgling  of  a  brook  over  a 
pebbly  bed  mingled  with  the  song  of  thrushes.  "  Your  French 
speech  was  the  first  you  have  ever  addressed  to  me." 

That  was  true,  although  I  had  held  so  many  imaginary  conver 
sations  with  her  that  I  did  not  for  the  moment  think  it  was. 
I  offered  her  my  arm  for  the  promenade  and  she  started  to  ac 
cept  it  naturally.  But  with  her  hand  half  extended  she  dropped 
it  quickly,  as  if  some  sudden  thought  had  struck  her. 

"  Oh,  I  do  not  think  I  need  your  arm,"  she  said  with  a  bright 
blush ;  "  I  'm  a  fine  sailor ;  see  how  steadily  I  walk." 

And  so  she  did,  keeping  her  balance  perfectly  when  the  ship 
slid  down  into  the  trough  with  the  deck  at  an  angle  of  forty- 
five  degrees  (for  though  there  was  no  storm  on  a  heavy  sea  was 
rolling)  and  mounting  the  deck  just  as  steadily  when  the  good 
ship  was  climbing  up  again. 

I  have  often  thought  of  that  first  talk  with  her  —  I  thought 
of  it  many  times  in  the  light  of  the  strange  events  that  followed 
—  for  I  had  never  met  in  England  any  young  woman  who  talked 
so  well  as  this  young  Frenchwoman.  Of  course  the  one  topic 
on  all  our  tongues  was  the  war  with  France,  but  she  understood 
so  well  all  the  casus  belli.  I  could  never  have  expected  a  woman, 
and  a  young  one,  to  have  been  so  well  informed.  More  than 
that,  she  was  no  lover  of  the  great  Bonaparte,  and  I  suspected 
there  was  good  reason  for  that.  We  had  decided,  the  American 
and  I,  that  she  was  of  the  old  regime,  probably  an  emigree  of 
noble  blood,  seeking  a  more  congenial  clime  in  America. 

But  we  did  not  always  talk  of  the  war.  I  had  ever  a  fond 
ness  for  quoting  my  Shakespeare  —  which  I  can  see  now  was 
often  a  bore  to  Peggy,  who  would  rather  have  been  talking  of 
her  triumphs  on  the  stage  and  off,  or  of  the  things  she  liked 
most  to  eat  and  to  wear.  Indeed,  as  I  have  grown  older,  I  can 
see  that  one  might  easily  make  himself  tiresome  by  having  too 
ready  a  tongue  for  a  quotation  —  that  it  is  a  bad  habit,  to  be 
curbed,  not  cultivated  —  but  then  I  was  in  love  with  my  Shake 
speare  as  I  was  in  love  with  love,  because  I  was  a  sentimental 
young  idiot  who  had  still  his  wisdom  teeth  to  cut. 


48  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Being  tempted,  theref ore,  by  the  beauty  of  the  night  I  began : 

"  Look,  how  the  floor  of  heaven 
Is  thick  inlaid  with  patines  of  bright  gold." 

To  my  delight  she  took  the  word  out  of  my  mouth  and  finished 
it  for  me : 

"  There 's  not  the  smallest  orb  which  thou  beholdest 
But  in  his  motion  like  an  angel  sings, 
Still  quiring  to  the  young-eyed  cherubim." 

And  then  we  got  into  a  great  game  of  capping  verses,  she 
beginning  a  quotation  and  I  finishing  it,  or  I  beginning  and  she 
finishing.  She  was  better  at  it  than  I,  which  was  sufficiently 
surprising  to  me  then,  since  I  had  not  known  many  young  Eng 
lishwomen  who  loved  their  Shakespeare,  and  she,  being  French, 
could  easily  have  been  excused  from  loving  him  or  comprehend 
ing  his  beauty  —  but,  as  I  said  before,  in  the  light  of  what  fol 
lowed  it  was  infinitely  more  surprising. 

In  the  midst  of  our  keenest  delight  in  this  intellectual  game 
(my  delight,  at  least,  was  keen,  I  cannot  answer  for  Miss  Des- 
loge's)  she  suddenly  seemed  to  recollect  something.  Her  man 
ner,  which  had  been  natural,  unembarrassed  and  altogether 
charming,  turned  to  the  most  frigid  formality. 

"  You  must  excuse  me,  Sir  Lionel ;  it  is  growing  late,  I  fear," 
she  said  formally.  "  I  must  go  to  my  cabin,  but  I  will  not  tres 
pass  on  your  courtesy  further  —  I  can  find  my  way  alone. 
Good-night,  sir." 

And  without  giving  me  a  chance  to  urge  that  it  was  still 
early,  or  to  insist  upon  accompanying  her  to  the  companion- 
way  —  both  of  which  I  was  eager  to  do  —  she  was  off. 

Only  once  again  on  the  voyage  did  I  have  anything  like  an 
uninterrupted  conversation  with  her,  and  that  was  about  a  week 
before  we  landed.  In  the  interval  it  had  seemed  to  me  that  she 
had  studiously  avoided  me.  Sometimes  she  was  at  the  table, 
sometimes  she  was  not,  but  when  she  was  there  most  of  her  con 
versation  was  addressed  to  the  captain  and  the  American,  and 
usually  it  was  in  French;  which,  though  of  course  it  was  the 


I  PRACTISE  MY  FRENCH  49 

more  natural  tongue  for  her  to  speak,  yet  now  that  I  knew  she 
spoke  such  pure  and  fluent  English  I  could  not  but  consider  as 
intended  as  a  direct  slight  to  me.  I  ought  to  have  resented  it, 
I  suppose,  and  paid  her  as  little  attention  as  she  paid  me,  but 
there  was  something  in  her  manner  of  treating  me  that  piqued 
my  interest  against  my  will.  Sometimes  I  thought  it  possible 
that  it  was  one  of  her  French  wiles,  intended  to  pique  it,  but 
when,  as  occasionally  happened,  she  turned  and  addressed  me 
in  English,  her  manner  was  so  serious,  so  frank  and  direct,  and 
at  the  same  time  so  indifferent,  as  to  preclude  all  thoughts  of  co 
quetry  on  her  part.  I  had  to  confess  to  myself  that  it  was  much 
more  probable  that  she  was  interested  in  the  big  American  — 
who  was  a  man  to  attract  any  woman,  even  at  the  first  glance  — 
and  thought  of  me  not  at  all. 

Away  from  the  table  I  seldom  saw  her,  and  then  only  in  the 
presence  of  others,  but  on  this  evening,  about  a  week  before  our 
landing  —  to  be  exact,  just  six  days  before  —  I  saw  her  as  I  came 
out  from  supper,  sitting  far  out  in  the  bow  of  the  vessel,  watch 
ing  the  sunset  toward  which  we  were  rushing  with  every  sail 
full  set.  And  she  was  alone. 

I  had  such  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  one  delightful  hour  I 
had  spent  with  her,  and  I  had  so  keen  a  realization  of  the  fact 
that  our  voyage  was  nearly  over,  that  I  took  my  courage  in  my 
hand  and  walked  straight  out  into  the  bow  beside  her.  She 
was  so  intent  on  the  -sunset,  and  the  swish  of  the  waves,  flung 
back  from  our  swift  prow,  was  so  strong,  that  at  first  she  neither 
saw  nor  heard  me,  and  I  stood  beside  her  a  full  minute  looking 
at  her,  unperceived.  I  had  seen  her  face  merry,  and  formal, 
and  cold,  and  eager,  but  I  had  never  before  seen  it  sad,  and 
her  eyes  were  of  the  kind  which  sadness  but  made  the  more  beau 
tiful.  No  doubt  while  she  was  looking  at  that  piled  glory  of 
crimson  and  gold  in  the  west,  she  was  thinking  of  home  and 
friends.  For  a  moment  I  felt  that  I  ought  to  turn  and  leave  her 
to  her  sad  thoughts  undisturbed.  Then  I  said  to  myself  —  She 
has  had  many  hours  alone,  devoted  to  sorrowful  reveries,  no 
doubt ;  this  one  hour  I  think  she  might  spare  to  a  fellow  traveler 
who  is  also  sad.  So  I  made  known  my  presence  to  her. 
4 


50  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Mademoiselle/'  I  said  flippantly,  "  art  sitting  in  '  maiden 
meditation,  fancy  free '  ?  " 

She  was  startled  at  the  sound  of  my  voice  and  looked  up 
quickly  with  a  half-frightened  glance.  Without  giving  her  a 
chance  to  speak  I  went  on : 

"  Will  you  share  your  sunset  with  a  fellow  voyager  who  is 
almost  a  stranger  ?  —  or,  so  you  have  made  him  feel." 

What  induced  me  to  address  her  with  such  impertinence  I 
cannot  tell,  but  she  did  not  resent  it.  She  smiled  more  sweetly 
than  I  had  heretofore  seen  her  smile  on  me  and  with  something 
of  that  merry  little  twinkle  in  her  eye  that  had  made  me  think, 
on  the  night  I  met  her,  that  she  was  trying  to  coquette  with  me, 
and  that  once  more  reminded  me  so  strongly  of  someone  I  had 
known  —  Peggy,  no  doubt. 

She  was  sitting  on  a  wide  coil  of  rope  and  she  moved  a  little 
to  one  side  as  she  answered  me : 

"  I  will  not  only  share  my  sunset,  but  my  seat,  Sir  Lionel ; 
will  you  sit  down  ?  " 

I  had  been  impertinent  once  and  it  had  answered  well  —  I 
would  try  it  again. 

"  Miss  Desloge,"  I  said,  as  I  thanked  her  and  took  the  seat 
she  offered  me  beside  her,  "  it  seems  to  me  that  you  have  pur 
posely  avoided  me,  and  I  know  not  why.  Did  I  offend  you  in 
our  last  conversation  together  ?  " 

She  hesitated  before  replying,  and  as  I  watched  her,  not  being 
quite  sure  how  she  would  take  so  bold  a  speech  from  so  great  a 
stranger,  I  saw  the  faint  color  come  and  go  in  her  cheek  and  I 
thought  she  was  struggling  with  some  half-formed  purpose. 
She  turned  to  me,  finally,  with  the  air  of  one  who  has  come  to 
a  decision,  and  as  she  spoke  the  rose  still  palpitated  in  her 
cheek. 

"  No,  Sir  Lionel,"  she  said,  with  serious  sweetness,  "  you  did 
not  offend  me.  I  enjoyed  our  hour  together ;  and  if  it  had  been 
proper  and  you  had  so  desired,  I  could  have  enjoyed  many  more 
like  it,  on  this  tedious  voyage.  I  cannot  tell  you,  or  I  do  not 
wish  to  tell  you,  why  it  is  not  proper,  but  in  a  few  days  you  will 
inevitably  know,  and  then  you  will  thank  me  that  I  have  sacri- 


I  PRACTISE  MY  FRENCH  51 

ficed  my  enjoyment  of  the  passing  hour  to  what  I  know  to  be 
right  and  fitting." 

"  Mademoiselle,"  I  said  quickly,  sure  now  that  she  was  some 
great  lady  whom  I  had  no  right  to  address  on  such  familiar 
terms,  "you  know  best  what  is  right  and  fitting,  but  I  should 
have  thought  on  such  a  voyage  as  this  —  all  of  us  fellow  trav 
elers  together,  and  many  of  us,  most  like,  leaving  home  for  some 
sad  cause  that  should  make  us  feel  akin  —  on  such  a  voyage  I 
should  think  that  a  princess  might  show  friendliness  even  to  a 
peasant." 

She  looked  up  at  me,  wonder  at  the  hurt  pride  in  my  voice 
speaking  from  her  soft  eyes.  But  in  a  moment  the  wonder  gave 
place  to  merriment. 

"  Oh,"  she  said,  with  a  gay  little  laugh,  "  you  did  not  under 
stand  me  at  all.  I  am  no  princess;  but  never  mind  what  I  am 
—  you  will  know  soon  enough  —  and  I  think  for  this  evening  it 
will  not  much  matter  if  I  forget  it  and  let  myself  enjoy  the 
society  of  my  learned  Shakespearean  friend.  Let  us  — 

'Hold  the  world  but  as  the  world,  Gratiano; 
A  stage,  where  every  man  must  play  a  part; 

And  if,  perchance,  ours  be  sad  ones,  what  care  we  for  an 
hour  !  We  will  be 

'  As  merry  as  the  day  is  long.' " 

She  was  delightful  as  she  said  it:  red  lips  curling  with 
saucy  glee,  dark  eyes  glowing  and  sparkling  with  merriment. 
I  forgot  even  Peggy,  in  the  hour  that  followed;  I  forgot  that  I 
had  ever  been  sad. 

I  looked  forward  with  eagerness  to  meeting  her  the  next 
morning  at  breakfast,  but  she  did  not  appear,  and  I  did  not  see 
her  again  until,  in  the  early  dawn  under  rose  leaf  skies,  and 
through  a  liquid  air  of  sparkling  amethyst,  we  sailed  together 
oyer  an  opal  sea  up  an  enchanted  bay  to  the  tree-embowered  vil 
lage  of  New  York. 


THE   LITTLE   LION 

do  you  think  of  it?  Sir  Lionel  ? " 

It  is  wonderfully  beautiful,"  I  answered.  "  Why 
did  no  one  ever  tell  me  that  I  would  find  this  new  world  so  fair 
a  land  ?  It  puts  to  shame  our  old  Thames  and  the  approach  to 
London." 

"  I  have  never  seen  the  Thames  nor  London,"  my  companion 
answered,  "  but  I  can  quite  believe  that  this  beautiful  bay  can 
put  them  both  to  shame.  Certainly  there  is  nothing  in  La 
Belle  France  to  compare  with  it." 

He  spoke  with  a  half-suppressed  exultation  that  was  easy  to 
understand.  The  sun  had  not  yet  risen,  but  its  rosy  foreglow 
was  in  the  sky  and  the  clear  light  of  dawn  brought  out  the 
richly  wooded  heights  on  the  west;  and  on  the  east,  glimpses  of 
white  pillared  houses  on  sloping  lawns,  and  gardens  and  orchards 
heavily  laden  with  the  crimson  globes  of  peaches  or  with  fair 
round  apples  fast  turning  to  scarlet  and  gold;  and  on  either 
hand  beautiful  islands,  between  which,  with  every  sail  set  and 
the  foam  rushing  back  from  our  prow,  we  were  skimming  like 
a  great  white-winged  bird. 

To  be  coming  home  to  such  a  land  after  an  absence  of  many 
months  filled  with  strange  adventures  might  easily  give  one  an 
exultant  thrill,  I  thought,  and  felt  myself  the  sadder  for  the 
thought.  For  it  was  not  my  native  shores  I  was  approaching, 
and,  beautiful  as  they  were,  to  me  they  were  to  be  the  land  of 
exile  for  the  next  two  years.  I  had  given  my  word  to  my 
father,  and  there  was  no  more  hope  that  he  would  voluntarily 
release  me  from  my  pledge  than  that  I  would  ask  it. 

I  glanced  up  into  the  face  of  my  companion  (he  was  a  good 
half  head  taller  than  I)  and  I  saw  his  dark  blue  eyes  glowing 

52 


THE  LITTLE  LION  53 

with  pride  and  love.  But  in  a  moment  a  shadow  swept  over 
them  and  he  half  turned  away  with  a  deep  sigh. 

I  knew  what  the  sigh  meant.  In  our  five  weeks  together  we 
had  gradually  grown  into  a  friendship  that  I  believed  would  be 
as  lasting  as  the  hills,  and  would  stand  the  shock  of  time  as 
that  rock  we  were  just  passing,  and  which  they  said  was  called 
Bedloe's  Island,  had  resisted  the  onslaught  of  the  waves  for 
centuries.  Five  weeks  may  not  be  a  long  time  in  which  to  weld 
a  friendship  for  life,  but  spent  on  shipboard,  where  there  is 
nothing  to  do  but  to  exchange,  first,  opinions,  and  later,  confi 
dences,  it  may  easily  be  long  enough;  and  if,  by  force  of  cir 
cumstance,  two  people  are  peculiarly  ripe  for  such  a  friendship, 
then,  indeed,  might  a  much  shorter  time  suffice. 

But  in  the  very  act  of  sighing  I  saw  his  face  change  and  that 
interested  look  come  into  his  eyes  that  I  had  seen  there  before 
when  they  fell  upon  a  certain  person.  I  was  very  sure  she  must 
have  come  into  his  line  of  vision  with  the  look,  and  I  turned 
quickly  to  see,  not  with  any  intention  of  spying  upon  my 
companion.  I  knew  he  had  no  more  reason  for  being  specially 
interested  in  Miss  Desloge  than  I,  and  he  had  just  as  much 
reason,  perhaps  more,  than  I,  for  being  interested  in  no  woman 
on  this  side  of  the  globe.  I  turned  quickly  because  I  had  caught 
no  glimpse  of  her  for  nearly  a  week  and  we  had  both  wondered, 
laughingly,  at  times,  whether  she  might  not  have  fallen  over 
board,  so  completely  had  she  disappeared  from  table  and  deck. 

Yes,  there  she  stood:  a  graceful  figure  in  a  long  gray  silk 
traveling  pelisse  and  wearing  the  same  gray  veil  that  had  ob 
scured  those  glorious  eyes  and  that  wonderful  hair  the  first  time 
I  had  seen  her;  for  I  had  come,  in  my  thoughts  only,  to  use 
the  adjective  "  glorious "  concerning  her  eyes  and  hair,  quite 
shamelessly  of  late,  though  at  the  beginning  of  our  voyage  I 
would  have  thought  it  treason  to  Peggy  to  do  so. 

She  was  standing  by  the  taffrail  gazing  eagerly  at  each  island 
and  landmark  as  the  captain,  standing  beside  her  (for  a  pilot 
was  taking  us  up  the  bay  and  the  captain  was  off  duty),  pointed 
them  out  to  her.  Most  eagerly  of  all  she  was  gazing  at  the 
rapidly  approaching  town  lying  just  before  us,  its  buildings 


54  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

coming  out  with  startling  distinctness  in  this  wonderfully  clear 
atmosphere,  so  unlike  anything  I  had  ever  known  on  our  mist- 
shrouded  island. 

I  would  have  liked  to  go  up  and  speak  to  her,  but  that  I  did 
not  dare,  for  now  that  our  ways  were  so  soon  to  part,  probably 
never  to  meet  again,  I  had  a  curious  sensation  of  regret  and  a 
mild  chafing  at  fate,  or  at  Miss  Desloge,  that  I  had  succeeded  in 
growing  no  better  acquainted  with  her  on  this  long  voyage.  I 
was  therefore  pleased  to  hear  my  companion  say: 

"Let  us  join  them  and  listen  to  the  captain's  descriptions; 
he  can  tell  you  everything  and  show  you  everything  much  better 
than  I.  Philadelphia  is  my  city,  you  know,  not  New  York." 

I  was  pleased,  but  I  answered  him  jestingly : 

"  It  seems  to  me  for  a  young  man  with  a  broken  heart  you 
are  showing  great  interest  in  the  fair  Frenchwoman/' 

He  smiled,  for  he  recognized  that  I  was  but  repeating  to  him 
his  own  words,  used  to  me  a  few  days  before,  and  with  one  ac 
cord  we  turned  and  walked  toward  Miss  Desloge  and  the  captain. 
She  received  us  with  less  of  embarrassment  in  her  manner  than 
she  had  yet  shown. 

"  You  are  just  in  time,"  she  said ;  "  Captain  Skinner  knows 
every  house  and  every  spire  and  every  tree  on  the  island,  I  should 
think.  See  that  pretty  park  and  the  fine  houses  facing  it  on 
the  north?  That  is  the  Battery  and  Captain  Skinner  can  tell 
you  who  lives  in  every  house.  Did  you  expect  to  see  anything 
quite  so  fine  in  the  wilderness,  Sir  Lionel  ?  " 

It  was  the  first  time  she  had  ever  voluntarily  singled  me  out 
for  direct  address  in  the  presence  of  others,  and  I  felt  myself  col 
oring  and  stammering  like  an  awkward  schoolboy  as  I  replied: 

"  Everything  is  much  finer  than  I  expected  to  see  it,  Ma 
demoiselle.  This  approach  to  the  town  is  magnificent.  Is 
everything  in  the  new  world  on  so  grand  a  scale,  Captain  Skin 
ner?" 

"  Oh,  well,  I  guess  things  are  big  enough  over  here,  or  if 
they  're  not,  we  think  they  are  and  talk  as  if  they  were,"  he  an 
swered.  "  But  there 's  something  ought  to  interest  you,  Sir 
Lionel.  See  that  liberty  pole  ?  " 


THE  LITTLE  LION  55 

I  was  not  quite  sure  what  a  liberty  pole  was,  but  he  was  point 
ing  to  a  tall  flagstaff  in  the  park  and  I  nodded. 

"  Well,"  said  the  captain,  "  in  '83,  on  November  25th,  when 
the  Britishers  marched  out  of  New  York  and  took  ship  for  Eng 
land,  they  greased  that  pole  and  left  their  flag  flying  at  the  top. 
It  was  a  slick  trick  and  they  were  sure  the  Americans  would  have 
to  cut  down  the  pole  (and  they  knew  it  would  go  against  the 
grain  to  do  that,  for  they  had  set  it  up  when  they  tore  down 
King  George's  statoo  and  threw  the  tea  into -the  harbor),  but 
the  Britishers  thought  they'd  either  have  to  cut  down  the  pole 
or  leave  the  British  colors  flyin'." 

The  captain  stopped  to  note  the  impression  he  had  made,  and 
Mademoiselle  asked  the  question  he  wanted. 

"  Which  did  they  do  ?  " 

"  Neither,  by  gum !  "  said  the  captain  grimly.  "  David  Van 
Arsdale  climbed  the  pole,  grease  and  all,  with  our  flag  in  his 
teeth,  tore  down  the  British  flag  and  set  ours  flyin'." 

"  It  was  a  fine  feat,"  I  said,  and  it  was,  for  the  pole  was  so 
tall  and  round  and  smooth,  or  so  it  looked  through  the  cap 
tain's  glass,  that  it  would  have  been  a  difficult  feat  without  any 
grease. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  captain  with  a  brave  assumption  of  careless 
ness.  "  The  British  were  slick,  and  the  pole  was  slick,  but 
Davie  was  slicker  still.  That  was  twenty  years  ago,  come  next 
November,  but  every  25th  of  November  since,  either  Davie  or 
one  of  his  sons  has  climbed  that  pole  at  sunrise  and  set  the  flag 
floatin'  from  it." 

"  How  I  would  like  to  see  him  do  it ! "  Mademoiselle  ex 
claimed  with  enthusiasm. 

"  Mademoiselle  Desloge,"  I  challenged  her,  "  if  we  are  both 
in  New  York  on  the  25th  of  November,  will  you  come  down  to 
the  park  with  me  at  sunrise  and  see  it  done  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  expect  to  be  in  New  York,  Sir  Lionel,"  she  an 
swered  coldly,  and  at  once  became  as  impenetrable  to  me  as 
she  had  been  most  of  the  time  through  the  voyage,  though  to 
my  companion  and  to  the  captain  she  was  still  sufficiently  gra 
cious. 


56  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

I  felt  more  chagrin  at  her  sudden  change  of  manner  than 
I  thought  I  ought  to  feel.  What  was  Miss  Desloge  to  me! 
Why  should  I  care  how  she  treated  me?  I  believed  it  was  the 
mystery  that  enshrouded  her  that  had  aroused  my  interest,  but 
had  I  not  cares  and  sorrows  enough  of  my  own  to  absorb  me 
to  the  exclusion  of  any  curiosity  about  or  interest  in  the  pos 
sible  troubles  of  another?  I  was  turning  on  my  heel,  deter 
mined  to  leave  Miss  Desloge  and  her  vicinity,  when  the  captain 
spoke  to  me  again. 

"  There 's  another  interesting  spot  to  you  BritisTiers,  Sir 
Lionel.  Take  my  glass  and  examine  the  iron  railin'  around 
that  little  green  up  there  beyond  the  park.  Do  you  see  any 
thing  peculiar  about  it  ?  " 

"  It 's  a  pretty  little  green  and  a  fine  railing,"  I  answered 
after  gazing  through  the  glass  a  moment,  "  but  I  see  nothing 
peculiar,  except  that  the  top  of  every  post  is  ragged  —  looks 
as  if  it  were  broken." 

"  That 's  it ! "  exclaimed  the  .captain,  giving  his  leg  a  re 
sounding  whack,  as  was  his  custom  when  at  all  excited.  "  I 
helped  break  them  tops  off  myself  when  I  was  a  lad  of  twenty. 
King  George's  statoo  was  in  the  middle  of  the  green,  and  we 
broke  up  the  statoo  and  sent  the  pieces  to  Connecticut  to  be 
melted  into  bullets;  for  by  good  luck  the  old  king  was  made 
of  lead,  and  many  a  one  of  his  sojers  did  his  own  statoo  send 
to  Davy  Jones's  locker.  Then  we  broke  off  the  tops  of  the  posts 
'cause  they  were  gilt  crowns,  and  we  wanted  no  crowns  or  kings 
in  Ameriky.  But,  by  gum ! "  he  added  with  sudden  remorse, 
"  I  never  meant  to  be  crowin'  over  a  fallen  foe.  You  must 
excuse  me,  Sir  Linel,  I  forgot  fer  a  minute." 

I  laughed,  and  so  did  Mademoiselle,  and  so  did  the  big  Ameri 
can,  for  the  good  captain's  manner  was  such  a  mixture  of  comi 
cal  repentance  and  sly  bravado  as  was  irresistible.  He  joined 
in  the  laugh  himself,  after  a  moment,  with  so  joyous  a  guffaw 
as  made  us  all  but  laugh  the  harder.  But  we  were  slipping 
past  the  Battery  and  I  had  supposed  we  would  land  there. 
When  I  said  so  to  the  captain : 


THE  LITTLE  LION  57 

"  Oh,  no,"  he  answered,  "  we  land  at  the  foot  of  Wall  Street, 
round  the  heel  of  the  island.  See  that  tall  spire  ?  That 's  Trin 
ity  Church  and  it  stands  at  the  head  of  Wall  Street,  where  it 
runs  into  Broadway.  It 's  a  very  nice  church,  not  quite  as 
big  as  St.  Paul's,  nor  so  fine  as  Westminster,  but  a  very  nice 
church  if  you  're  a  Peskypisky  and  like  all  the  folderol  they  use 
there  on  Sundays.  I  'm  a  Congregationalist,  myself,  when  I  'm 
to  hum." 

We  were  running  so  close  to  shore  now  that  he  could  point 
out  without  the  aid  of  his  glass  the  fine  houses  of  which  there 
were  a  goodly  number  around  the  parks  and  on  Wall  Street  and 
the  streets  running  into  Wall,  and  tell  us  who  lived  in  them. 
They  were  substantial  dwellings,  and  would  have  compared 
well  with  any  of  our  fine  London  houses,  except  a  few  of  the 
great  houses  of  our  upper  peers.  As  we  came  quite  round  the 
"  heel,"  and  began  to  draw  up  toward  our  landing,  the  captain 
pointed  out  a  large  square  brick  building  three  stories  high, 
with  stone  trimmings,  and  a  sloping  roof  in  which  were  set  dor 
mer  windows. 

"  That 's  Fraunces'  Tavern,"  the  captain  said,  "  where  General 
Washington  told  his  officers  good-by  ten  days  after  the  British 
sailed.  There  were  a  lot  of  them  around  the  table  in  the  big 
room  in  the  second  story  and  folks  said  there  wa'n't  a  dry  eye 
among  them  when  he  told  'em  good-by.  And  do  you  see  that 
spot  in  the  roof  where  the  shingles  are  a  different  color  ?  "  the 
loquacious  captain  went  on.  "  Well,  that's  where  the  first  British 
cannon-ball  struck  New  York  from  the  big  ship  Asia.  Did  you 
ever  hear  Mr.  Fraunces'  potry  'bout  that  very  hole  in  the  roof, 
sir  ?  "  turning  to  the  big  American. 

No,  he  had  never  heard  it,  and  the  captain  rolled  it  glibly  from 
the  tip  of  his  tongue,  glad  of  a  chance  to  show  himself  a  man  of 
letters : 

" '  Scarce  a  broadside  was  ended  till  'nother  began  again, 
By  Jove!   it  was  nothing  but  Fire  away,  Flanagan! 
Some  thought  him  saluting  his  Sallys  and  Nancys, 
Till  he  drove  a  round  shot  through  the  roof  of  Sam  Fraunces.' 


58  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  But,  by  gum,  we  're  almost  at  the  landin'  and  here  have  I  been 
standin'  palaverin'  with  the  quality  when  I  should  a  bin  at- 
tendin'  to  my  dooty." 

With  that  he  was  off  and  left  us  three  together  and  I  at  least 
would  have  been  embarrassed  at  having  Mademoiselle  Desloge 
left  on  our  hands,  as  it  were,  but  that  we  were  drawing  near 
the  wharf  and  were  all  greatly  excited  at  the  prospect  of  so 
soon  making  a  landing  after  five  weeks  of  the  sea,  and  greatly 
absorbed,  also,  in  observing  the  people  who  were  thronging  the 
pier  watching  the  great  ship  come  in.  There  were  some  fine 
ladies  among  the  throng,  dressed  more  after  the  Parisian  style 
than  our  clumsier  English  fashion,  and  carrying  themselves 
as  proudly  as  titled  dames.  Some  of  them  were  beautiful,  too, 
though  I  know  not  why  that  should  have  surprised  me,  for  I 
had  often  heard  that  the  American  women  were  beautiful.  I 
was  wondering  idly  if  any  of  them  could  be  Livingstons,  for 
it  was  to  the  Livingstons  I  was  accredited,  when  I  observed  a 
strange  thing:  every  face  before  me  was  more  or  less  sad,  and 
many  of  the  throng  were  dressed  in  mourning.  Down  the 
faces  of  some,  tears  were  streaming  and  there  was  scarcely  a 
smile  to  be  seen  except  when  a  fleeting  one  greeted  the  first 
sight  of  a  friend  on  the  ship's  deck.  I  could  hear  all  around 
me,  from  those  who  had  now  pressed  close  about  us,  struggling 
to  catch  a  glimpse  of  friends  on  shore,  murmurs  over  the  strange 
ness  of  the  scene,  and  a  sort  of  awed  silence  fell  upon  us  on  ship 
board,  as  we  grew  more  and  more  assured  that  tidings  of  some 
great  calamity  awaited  our  landing. 

In  the  midst  of  our  surmises  I  noticed  a  little  man  come 
quickly  through  the  throng.  He  was  very  small,  quite  under 
middle  size,  but  he  was  evidently  a  man  of  distinction,  for  the 
throng  gave  way  before  him  and  men  saluted  and  women  curt 
sied  deeply,  and  I  could  see,  even  at  this  distance,  that  the 
sadness  in  many  eyes  had  given  away  for  the  moment  to  looks 
of  love  and  admiration,  and  I  looked  at  him  curiously. 

Though  he  was  so  small  I  have  never  seen  dignity  more  fully 
expressed  in  carriage  and  movement.  His  head  was  finely 
shaped  and  massive,  without  seeming  at  all  out  of  proportion  to 


THE  LITTLE  LION  59 

his  figure,  which  was  of  extreme  elegance,  well  and  lithely  built. 
His  nose  was  long  and  rather  sharp,  his  mouth  close-set,  and 
his  jaw  strong  and  firm.  But  it  was  his  eyes  that  were  re 
markable.  Dark  and  deeply  set,  they  were  more  full  of  light 
than  any  eyes  I  had  ever  seen.  They  absolutely  seemed  to  radi 
ate  beams  of  light  as  they  were  turned  up  towards  our  captain, 
and  I  could  easily  fancy  that  at  times  they  might  flash  fire. 

But  I  had  only  a  moment  to  take  in  all  these  points,  for 
as  he  fully  emerged  from  the  throng,  he  stepped  to  the  edge  of 
the  wharf  and  called  across  the  rapidly  narrowing  strip  of  water 
to  our  captain;  and  at  his  words  I  was  for  a  moment  struck  to 
stone  with  astonishment. 

"  Captain  Skinner,"  he  called,  in  a  voice  whose  rare  musical 
quality  I  noted  with  wonder,  since  most  American  voices  were 
not  musical  to  my  ears,  "  Captain  Skinner,  Mr.  Livingston  is 
ill  and  has  asked  me  to  call  for  Miss  Livingston's  maid,  a 
Mademoiselle  Desloge.  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  find  her  for 
me?" 

When  the  first  moment  of  stunned  astonishment  at  his  words 
had  passed,  I  would  not  look  at  Miss  Desloge,  lest  I  embarrass 
her,  but  I  could  not  refrain  from  a  glance  at  the  big  American 
standing  at  my  side,  to  see  how  he  took  the  revelation  that  this 
beautiful  young  woman  whom  we  had  both  concluded  from  her 
air  must  be  at  least  a  duchess  in  disguise  was  but  a  maid,  and 
in  service  to  Miss  Livingston.  To  my  surprise  he  seemed  not 
even  to  have  heard  the  words.  His  eyes  were  glowing,  his 
whole  face  was  irradiated  with  some  strong  inner  feeling  or 
combination  of  feelings,  where  love  and  admiration  shone  para 
mount.  In  a  low  and  suppressed  voice,  as  one  awe-struck,  he 
whispered : 

"  Did  you  see  him  ?  It 's  the  Little  Lion !  It 's  Hamilton 
himself ! " 


VI 

PESTILENCE   AND   STORM    GREET   MY   ARRIVAL 

IT  took  some  time  to  get  our  big  boat  alongside  the  wharf 
and  safely  moored  there  with  dropped  anchors  and  strong 
cables  over  the  pier  heads,  and  while  the  sailors  were  bringing 
the  great  ship  to  with  much  shouting  and  weird  chanting,  after 
the  manner  of  sailors,  I  stole  a  glance  at  Mademoiselle  Des- 
loge.  Her  cheek  was  burning,  as  I  had  expected  to  find  it,  but 
when,  feeling  my  eyes  on  her,  no  doubt,  she  turned  quickly  to 
ward  me,  there  was  in  her  glance  neither  overwhelming  confu 
sion  nor  pained  embarrassment,  both  of  which  I  had  dreaded  to 
meet.  Indeed,  I  could  not  be  quite  sure  what  her  expression 
meant,  and  I  fear  the  confusion  and  embarrassment  were  mine, 
when  she  said  in  a  tone  so  low  that  in  all  the  bustle  about  us  no 
one  else  could  hear : 

"  Did  I  not  tell  you  it  was  neither  right  nor  fitting,  Sir 
Lionel  ?  " 

Was  that  a  teasing  smile  that  for  a  moment  curled  her  scarlet 
lips?  Was  that  a  saucy  twinkle  in  her  glorious  dark  eyes? 
And  was  she  laughing  at  my  discomfiture  ?  I  answered  her  with 
dignity: 

"  If  I  can  be  of  any  assistance  to  Mademoiselle  Desloge  in 
disembarking  I  hope  she  will  command  me;  it  is  at  least  as 
right  and  fitting  for  me  to  offer  her  my  services  as  for  the  great 
Hamilton." 

She  did  not  answer  but  turned  quickly  away  to  hide  some 
emotion,  for  the  glimpse  of  her  cheek  turned  from  me,  the 
slender  neck  and  daintily  set  ear,  were  all  a  rosy  red,  but  whether 
from  distress  or  merriment  I  could  not  be  sure. 

And  what  cared  I  which  it  was,  I  said  to  myself  indignantly. 
What  mattered  to  me  the  vagaries  of  a  French  lady's  maid,  born 

60 


PESTILENCE  AND  STORM  61 

coquette  and  practised  in  the  wiles  of  coquetry?  and  I  turned 
once  more  to  watch  the  preparations  for  landing.  The  cables 
had  been  caught  and  the  nooses  slipped  over  the  pier  heads  and 
now  the  great  windlasses  were  turning  and  with  much  noise  of 
creaking  and  grinding  we  were  drawing  steadily  to  the  wharf. 
In  a  moment  more  the  gang-plank  was  shoved  out  and  those 
standing  ready  with  their  bags  and  bundles  in  their  hands 
rushed  across  and  were  received  with  open  arms  by  waiting 
friends. 

Neither  the  American  nor  Miss  Desloge  nor  I  had  been  among 
these.  The  American  was  waiting  to  superintend  the  disem 
barking  of  his  great  horse,  Bourbon  Prince;  Miss  Desloge  was 
waiting  for  Mr.  Hamilton  to  come  on  board  after  her  (which 
seemed  to  me  to  savor  somewhat  of  presumption  toward  the 
great  statesman  on  the  part  of  a  lady's  maid),  and  I  knew  not 
for  what  I  was  waiting.  For  now  that  I  was  to  leave  the 
friendly  ship  and  set  foot  on  a  foreign  soil  —  none  too  friendly, 
I  knew,  to  a  Briton  —  my  heart  sank  within  me,  a'nd,  but  for 
my  word  to  my  father,  I  should  have  liked  to  keep  my  quarters 
on  shipboard  and  go  back  with  the  jolly  captain  on  his  return 
voyage.  Mr.  Hamilton's  words,  "  Mr.  Livingston  is  ill,"  had 
struck  painfully  on  my  ears  for  more  reasons  than  one.  Was 
this  my  Mr.  Livingston,  the  one  to  whom  I  was  accredited? 
who  had  sent  me  such  cordial  letters  of  invitation  to  come  at 
once  to  his  house  on  landing?  And  if  he  were  ill,  why  had  he 
not  also  sent  Mr.  Hamilton  for  me  ?  Was  I  not  of  as  much  con 
sequence  as  a  lady's  maid? 

But  I  did  not  long  indulge  in  this  childish  and  pettish 
humor.  I  took  thought  with  myself  that  I  had  been  sent  abroad 
for  the  avowed  purpose  of  learning  self-reliance  and  independ 
ence;  in  less  than  two  years  I  should  have  reached  man's  legal 
estate.  Let  me  show  myself  already  a  man  in  determination 
and  courage,  if  not  quite  one  in  years. 

By  this  time  Mr.  Hamilton  had  wedged  his  way  through  the 
pushing  throng  across  the  gang-plank  and,  directed  by  the 
captain,  was  now  approaching  us.  I  watched  him  curiously. 
I  intended  to  observe  his  manner  toward  Miss  Desloge;  possibly 


62  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

in  this  land  of  liberty,  lady's  maids  were  on  equal  terms  with 
ladies.  If  it  should  prove  so,  I  would  be  genuinely  glad  for  Miss 
Desloge's  sake,  for  lady's  maid  or  not,  I  had  found  her  a  young 
woman  of  brilliant  intellect  and  fine  accomplishments,  and  I 
did  not  doubt  she  had  been  reduced  to  service  by  the  exigencies 
of  the  Revolution  and  the  Terror. 

But  before  he  had  a  chance  to  address  Miss  Desloge  he  had 
discovered  the  big  American  and  greeted  him  most* cordially. 
I  saw  my  friend  flush  with  pleasure  as  he  bent  low  before  him, 
and  I  was  struck  by  the  fact  that  Mr.  Hamilton,  small  and 
dark,  lost  nothing  in  dignity  as  he  received  the  respectful 
salutations  of  the  big  blond  American,  who  towered  nearly 
head  and  shoulders  above  him.  It  pleased  me  to  see  it,  for  I 
am  rather  small  and  somewhat  swarthy  myself,  both  of  which 
facts  have  at  times  been  a  source  of  trial  to  me,  who  admire 
my  fair  countrymen  and  regard  inches,  in  both  height  and 
breadth,  as  one  of  the  first  requisites  to  manliness.  It  pleased 
me,  because  I  determined  on  the  spot  that,  though  I  could  never 
be  a  great  man  like  Hamilton,  yet  I  might  hope  to  be  looked  up 
to  by  my  fellows,  since  it  seemed  inches  had  little  to  do  with 
merit  and  renown. 

But  though  I  could  not  but  feel  a  keen  curiosity  in  watching 
so  great  a  man  at  such  close  range  I  was  nervously  interested 
in  Miss  Desloge's  fate  —  what  courtesy  would  be  accorded  her, 
whether  scant  or  sufficient  —  and  involuntarily  my  glance  fell 
swiftly  on  Miss  Desloge  as  I  saw  Mr.  Hamilton  turn  toward 
her.  To  my  surprise  it  was  myself,  not  Mr.  Hamilton  she  was 
regarding,  and  as  my  eyes  met  hers  she  spoke  hastily  as  if  she 
had  been  watching  for  this  opportunity: 

"  Sir  Lionel,  I  hope  you  will  let  me  thank  you  for  your 
courtesy  to  a  stranger,  and  will  not  think  me  bold  when  I  say 
not ( farewell "  but '  au  revoir/  '; 

I  felt  awkward  and  uncertain  how  to  reply  to  this  speech,  ut 
tered  very  seriously  and  sweetly,  and  which,  if  she  had  but  been 
a  young  lady  in  my  own  class  of  life,  might  easily  have  set  all  my 
pulses  to  fluttering  and  the  red  blood  rushing  to  my  face.  But 
she  gave  me  no  chance  to  decide  what  to  say  or  how  to  say  it, 


PESTILENCE  AND  STORM  63 

for  at  the  last  word  she  turned  quickly  and,  Mr.  Hamilton 
being  close  beside  her  now,  I  saw  him  extend  his  hand,  and 
without  the  slightest  condescension  in  voice  or  face,  say  cour 
teously  : 

"  Mademoiselle  Desloge,  I  believe  ?  Then  I  am  to  take  you 
in  charge.  You  will  come  with  me  to  the  Grange,  where  you 
will  stay  until  other  arrangements  are  made  for  you.  Mr.  Liv 
ingston  is  ill  with  yellow  fever/' 

"  Yellow  fever !  "  I  exclaimed  involuntarily,  and  "  Yellow 
fever ! "  Miss  Desloge  and  the  American  echoed  in  concert. 

I  could  see  Miss  Desloge  pale  as  she  spoke,  and  I  had  no 
doubt  the  horror  I  had  always  felt  of  any  plague,  but  most  of 
all  of  this  one  which  was  the  dread  scourge  of  the  new  country, 
of  which  I  had  read  much  and  heard  many  grewsome  tales  —  I 
had  no  doubt  this  horror  betrayed  itself  in  my  voice  and  in  my 
countenance. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Mr.  Hamilton,  "  our  city  is  once  more  dev 
astated  by  the  scourge.  Mayor  Livingston  has  been  untiring  in 
his  devotion  to  the  sick  until  he  has  at  length  himself  fallen  a 
victim,  and  though  I  have  not  of  late  years  been  a  political 
friend  to  the  Livingstons,  as  you  know,"  turning  to  the  American, 
"yet  there  is  no  man  in  the  city,  friend  or  foe,  who  would  not 
do  his  utmost  now  to  serve  the  great  and  good  Livingston,  who 
has  not  spared  himself  in  serving  others." 

This,  then,  was  the  cause  of  all  those  signs  of  woe  we  had 
noted  in  the  people  gathered  on  the  wharf.  A  doomed  city! 
It  seemed  to  me  as  I  looked  off  over  its  clustering  houses,  tree- 
embowered,  and  the  spire  of  Trinity  Church  catching  the  first 
rays  of  the  sun  rising  at  our  backs,  that  I  could  see  a  visible  pall 
descending  upon  it,  and  such  trembling  horror  seized  me  as  I 
had  never  yet  experienced.  Had  it  been  a  horde  of  savages 
descending  on  the  doomed  city  I  would  have  been  the  first  to 
seize  my  sword  and  rush  to  meet  them,  I  was  sure,  for  I  have 
never  thought  myself  a  coward,  but  this  was  the  kind  of  foe  with 
whom  I  had  no  weapons  to  contend,  and  whose  very  name  struck 
unreasoning  terror  to  my  heart. 

I  could  not  discover  any  signs  of  terror  in  the  American. 


64  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

He  bore  himself  very  steadily  in  face  of  the  appalling  tidings, 
and  his  first  thought  seemed  to  be  not  for  himself  but  for 
me. 

"  You  must  go  home  with  me,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  said  earnestly. 
"  I  cannot  give  you  the  kind  of  welcome  I  should  like  to,  for  it 
may  be  to  a  house  of  mourning  I  am  taking  you,  but  at  least  it 
will  be  a  safe  refuge." 

"  No,  not  to  a  house  of  mourning,"  interposed  Mr.  Hamilton 
quickly.  "  How  could  I  have  been  so  thoughtless  as  not  to  have 
given  you  my  tidings  at  once !  Your  father  is  still  living,  and 
my  last  reports  are  that  he  is  even  gaining  a  little.  It  was  '  a 
stroke/  you  know  ?  " 

I  do  not  think  he  had  known  until  this  moment  what  had 
been  the  nature  of  his  father's  illness,  and  the  suddenness  of 
the  information,  together  with  the  assurance  that  his  father  still 
lived,  was  too  much  for  the  steady-nerved  fellow,  whose  calm 
ness  had  sometimes  seemed  to  me  to  border  on  the  phlegmatic. 
He  turned  away  to  hide  his  weakness,  and  Mr.  Hamilton  ad 
dressed  me  directly: 

"Do  I  understand  you  to  be  Sir  Lionel  Marchmont?  Mr. 
Livingston  was  not  expecting  you  on  this  boat  and  now  his 
house  is  no  place  for  you  —  you  must  come  with  me  to  the 
Grange." 

Here  was  American  hospitality  indeed.  Two  invitations 
within  a  minute  and  both  of  them  offered  so  heartily  it  was 
evident  they  were  no  mere  matter  of  form.  But  I  was  not 
going  to  accept  either  of  them.  Such  kindness  to  a  stranger 
could  be  little  less  than  charity;  and  though  both  my  would-be 
hosts  urged  their  hospitality  with  such  vehemence  that  declining 
it  began  to  be  an  embarrassment,  I  steadfastly  persisted  in  my 
purpose  to  find  an  inn  of  some  kind;  and  the  American,  seeing 
that  I  was  determined,  said  he  would  go  with  me  to  the  City 
Tavern,  where  he  might  have  to  delay  for 'a  day  if  the  stage  to 
Philadelphia  should  not  be  going  and  if  he  could  find  no  private 
conveyance,  for,  after  the  long  sea  voyage,  Bourbon  would  be  in 
no  condition  to  start  at  once  on  such  a  journey.  Whereupon 
Mr.  Hamilton  invited  us  both  to  dinner  at  the  Grange,  an  in- 


PESTILENCE  AND  STORM  65 

vitation  which  I  accepted  at  once,  with  pleasure,  and  the  Ameri 
can  conditionally. 

To  put  one's  feet  on  terra  firma  after  five  weeks  on  a  rolling, 
pitching  or  sliding  deck,  as  the  case  might  be,  is  a  curious  sensa 
tion.  I  had  experienced  no  qualms  of  seasickness  on  shipboard, 
but  now  I  found  my  head  spinning  and  my  limbs  stagger 
ing  under  me.  My  big  friend  seemed  to  feel  no  such  incon 
venience,  but  seeing  my  plight  he  called  a  pony-chair,  evidently 
waiting  to  be  hired,  and  directed  the  black  in  charge  to  drive  me 
at  once  to  the  City  Tavern,  while  he  stayed  to  look  after  his 
horse  and  his  two  negroes,  Caesar  and  Chloe. 

"  Gwine  to  de  City  Tabern,  Marse  Cap'n  ?  "  asked  the  black 
as  he  put  my  bag  at  my  feet. 

There  was  no  resisting  his  mellow  tones  and  his  cordial  grin. 
I  had  felt  half  afraid  of  him  at  first,  being  totally  unused  to 
negroes,  but  now  I  resigned  myself  comfortably  to  his  care  and 
he  proved  himself  a  most  loquacious  guide  as  well  as  a  skillful 
Jehu. 

It  was  a  dismal  drive;  for  though  it  was  along  a  street  finer 
than  I  could  have  hoped  to  find  in  this  new  world,  with  hand 
some  residences  solidly  built  of  brick  and  stone  lining  both  sides 
of  it,  and  heavily  shaded  with  some  of  the  finest  elms  I  had 
ever  seen  and  with  a  species  of  maple  entirely  new  to  me  and 
very  beautiful,  yet  the  handsome  houses  were  most  of  them 
closed  with  heavily  barred  shutters  of  wood,  and  the  street  itself 
was  almost  deserted,  and  so  silent  that  my  light  pony-chair,  rat 
tling  over  its  stones,  waked  hollow  echoes  from  the  empty  dwell 
ings  frowning  silently  down  on  us. 

My  garrulous  guide  told  me  that  this  was  Wall  Street  and 
pointed  out  the  remains  of  the  old  wall  from  which  it  took  its 
name,  built  to  protect  the  village  from  the  savages  in  an  earlier 
day.  He  knew,  also,  who  dwelt  in  every  house  and  uttered 
their  names  with  pompous  pride  as  if  I  would  recognize  them 
at  once  as  those  of  men  of  note,  but  most  of  them  were  un 
familiar  to  my  ears  and  made  little  impression  upon  me.  More 
over,  he  volunteered  an  explanation  of  the  closed  houses.  In 
this  one,  three  members  of  the  family  had  died  of  the  scourge; 
5 


66  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

from  the  next,  the  household  had  fled  early  to  their  country 
seat  on  the  Bloomingdale  Eoad  in  the  upper  part  of  the  island ; 
in  the  third,  the  bride  of  a  week  had  been  stricken  down  and 
the  frantic  young  husband  had  been  carried  out  a  raving  maniac 
and  confined  for  safe  keeping  in  the  Bridewell. 

They  were  grewsome  tales  but  there  was  no  stopping  the 
black,  who  seemed  to  gloat  over  the  telling  of  them,  rolling  his 
eyes  in  ghoulish  delight.  Moreover,  the  air  was  heavy  with 
the  stench  of  burning  gunpowder  and  vinegar  and  garlic  which 
yet  could  not  entirely  disguise  the  more  offensive  odor  they 
were  intended  to  cover.  It  was  the  hour  of  the  day  when  the 
air  should  have  been  drenched  with  dew,  and  sweet  and  cool 
with  the  freshness  of  the  early  morning,  but,  though  the  sun  had 
hardly  risen,  it  was  already  glowering  at  us  like  a  ball  of  fire 
through  thick  and  poisonous  vapors  which  seemed  to  steam  up 
from  the  very  earth  itself.  My  heart  was  sick  within  me;  a 
hundred  times  in  the  course  of  that  short  drive  I  wished  my 
self  back  in  the  fair  green  meadows  of  my  native  Devonshire, 
breathing  its  cool  fresh  air,  swept  clean  and  sweet  by  ocean 
breezes. 

Before  an  imposing  building  with  pillared  porch  and  sculp 
tured  pediment  and  metopes,  my  sable  Jehu  drew  up  a  moment. 

"De  Federal  building,  sah,"  he  said  with  infinite  pride. 
And  then  waving  his  hand  toward  an  upper  balcony : 

"  In  dat  sacred  spot,  sah,  Marse  George  "Washington  stood 
when  he  tuk  de  oath  of  office  as  fust  Pres'dent  ob  de  United 
'States." 

The  air  of  pride  with  which  he  rolled  this  majestic  sentence 
between  his  teeth  was  delicious.  I  glanced  up  at  the  balcony 
with  real  interest.  Then  he  had  trod  these  very  streets !  Over 
the  narrow  brick  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  stately  building  his 
feet  had  often  passed  [  I  had  come  three  years  too  late  to  see, 
take  him  all  in  all,  the  greatest  man  the  world  had  ever  known, 
but  I  could  visit  the  scenes  of  his  exploits;  I  would,  without 
doubt,  meet  the  men  who  had  known  him  well ;  indeed,  this  very 
afternoon  I  was  to  dine  with  the  man  whom  he  had  dearly  loved 
and  delighted  to  honor.  For  the  moment  my  mal-de-terre,  my 


PESTILENCE  AND  STORM  67 

home-sickness,  my  horror  of  this  scourge-infected  air  were  all 
forgotten.  And  then  from  the  spire  of  the  church  standing  at 
the  head  of  the  street,  a  bell  began  to  toll  the  death  knell. 

There  was  a  sudden  commotion  before  a  house  a  few  doors 
down  on  a  street  opening  just  where  we  stood  into  the  one  we 
were  traversing.  I  glanced  down  the  street.  A  rough  cart  had 
drawn  up  before  a  handsome  house;  a  half  dozen  negroes  with 
shouts  and  loud  commands  and  much  unseemly  noise  were 
carrying  a  rude  box  with  its  heavy  burden  out  of  the  house, 
followed  by  a  woman,  shrieking,  whom  some  men  were  evi 
dently  trying  to  soothe  and  restrain.  The  blacks  deposited 
the  box  unceremoniously  in  the  cart  and  drove  off  rapidly  down 
the  street,  careless  of  the  jolting  box  beside  them  and  of  the 
shrieking  woman  left  behind.  Two  of  the  men,  who  had  been 
trying  to  comfort  her,  sprang  upon  waiting  horses  and  spurred 
them  into  a  gallop  to  overtake  the  cart,  and  the  remaining  two 
forced  the  frantic  woman  with  gentle  violence  back  into  the 
house.  And  through  it  all  the  bell  of  Trinity  tolled  dismally. 

I  had  been  spellbound  by  the  horrible  scene  nor  could  I 
shake  off  the  spell  until  the  woman  had  disappeared  within 
her  doors. 

"  Go  on !  "  I  said  sharply,  rousing  myself,  and  the  black,  with 
rolling  eyes  half  starting  from  his  head,  and  showing  all  the 
white,  whipped  up  his  horse  and  in  a  moment  we  had  reached 
the  head  of  the  street,  turned  to  the  right  in  front  of  Trinity 
Church  with  its  bells  still  dismally  tolling  in  its  high  spire, 
and  just  beyond  the  church  drew  up  in  front  of  a  great  hos 
telry. 

My  head  was  still  going  around  and  my  knees  very  uncer 
tain,  and  strange  qualms  in  the  region  of  my  stomach  forbade 
the  thought  of  eating  or  drinking  and  I  tarried  only  long 
enough  in  the  crowded  office,  thronged  with  passengers  from  the 
Sea  Gull,  to  get  a  room  assigned  me  to  which  I  was  conducted 
by  another  black  boy  —  of  whom  there  seemed  to  be  legions 
swarming  about  the  inn. 

My  room  proved  to  be  comfortable  enough,  and  clean,  I  was 
glad  to  discover.  The  boy  put  down  my  hand  luggage  and  dis- 


68  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

appeared,  but  reappeared  in  a  moment  with  a  pitcher  of  fresh 
drinking  water  which  he  assured  me  gravely  was  from  "  the  tea- 
water  pump."  What  difference  that  made  I  did  not  know  then, 
though  I  learned  later  that  the  water  from  this  famous  pump 
was  regarded  as  the  only  perfectly  safe  drinking  water  on  the 
island,  and  that,  no  doubt,  the  city  owed  its  frequent  scourges 
of  yellow  fever  to  the  general  impurity  of  its  wells.  Itv  was 
deliciously  cool  and  refreshing;  I  quaffed  a  glass  of  it  eagerly 
and  turned  to  the  window  to  see  if  I  could  find  a  breath  of 
air  stirring,  for  with  both  windows  open  my  room  was  yet 
insufferably  hot  and  close. 

But  I  found  no  relief  at  the  window.  I  looked  out  on  a 
broad  thoroughfare  lined  with  trees  from  which  every  leaf  hung 
drooping  and  lifeless.  Milkmen  were  going  about  the  street 
with  great  cans  of  milk  suspended  from  yokes  slung  about  their 
shoulders,  but  their  cries  of  "  Milk,  ho,  Milk ! "  sounded  list 
less  and  half-hearted  through  the  heavy  air,  and  the  call  of 
a  solitary  vendor  of  "pure  cold  water  from  the  tea-water 
pump,"  bearing  enormous  cans  after  the  fashion  of  the  milk 
men,  was  no  more  cheery  or  inspiring.  The  hour  was  early, 
but  not  so  early  that  it  could  account  for  the  deserted  aspect 
of  the  principal  thoroughfare  of  the  town,  as  I  had  been  in 
formed  "  the  Broadway "  was ;  no  doubt  the  scourge  was  re 
sponsible,  and  I  fell  to  bemoaning  once  more  a  fate  that  had 
cast  me  upon  these  shores  at  such  an  untoward  moment. 

I  had  not  observed  that  the  skies  had  been  growing  darker, 
but  at  a  sound  of  low  and  distant  rumbling  I  glanced  up  and 
discovered  heavy  thunderheads  rapidly  moving  up  from  the 
southwest,  and  in  a  few  moments  there  burst  upon  the  pest- 
ridden  city  the  most  terrific  storm  I  had  ever  witnessed,  ac 
companied  by  a  sudden  clash  and  roar  of  wind  that  seized  the 
listless  trees  and  bent  and  twisted  them  into  writhing  shapes, 
and  tore  off  great  limbs  and  sent  tiles  from  roofs  and  chimneys 
flying  through  the  air.  My  windows  faced  the  east  so  that  I 
could  keep  them  open  without  being  exposed  to  the  violence 
of  the  wind  and  rain  which  was  driving  in  solid  walls  of  water 
across  the  island  to  the  accompaniment  of  an  incessant  roar 


PESTILENCE  AND  STOEM  69 

of  thunder,  interrupted  by  tremendous  crashes  and  sudden  and 
blinding  flashes  of  lightning. 

It  was  a  magnificent  spectacle  but  it  was  all  over  in  fifteen 
minutes.  The  storm  cleared  away  as  rapidly  as  it  had  arisen, 
leaving  the  air  wonderfully  freshened  and  cleared  from  the 
noisome  vapors  of  the  morning. 

"  'T  is  a  strange  land,"  I  said  to  myself,  "  where  the  morn 
ing  hours  are  hotter  than  England's  noondays,  and  where  its 
refreshing  showers  take  the  form  of  tropical  tornadoes." 

I  was  still  giddy  and  headachy  and  in  no  mood  for  break 
fast,  and  wondering  idly  what  had  become  of  my  friend,  the 
big  American,  through  the  violence  of  the  storm,  but  quite  sure 
that  he  was  well  able  to  take  care  of  himself,  I  pulled  off  my 
boots  and  coat  and  threw  myself  on  the  inviting-looking  bed 
for  a  few  moments'  rest  until  the  American  should  make  his 
appearance.  I  did  not  intend  to  go  to  sleep,  and,  for  the  first 
few  moments,  a  great  wave  of  longing  for  home  and  Peggy 
engulfed  me.  Yes,  Peggy,  of  whom  I  had  thought  but  little 
of  late,  the  Peggy  I  had  known  in  dear  old  Oxford;  a  Peggy, 
that  I  knew  now  had  never  had  any  real  existence,  but  for 
whom  in  my  homesick  thoughts  I  still  miserably  longed. 

And  then,  suddenly,  without  warning,  sleep  descended  like  a 
pall  and  wrapped  my  senses  in  a  heavy,  dreamless  slumber. 


VII 

I   MEET   A   WIT 

I  WAS  roused  by  a  vigorous  grip  of  my  shoulder.  Through 
my  dulled  senses,  still  dazed  by  my  heavy  sleep,  I  heard  an 
energetic  voice: 

"  Come,  you  have  slept  long  enough ;  it  is  time  to  be  dressing 
for  dinner ! " 

I  opened  my  eyes  slowly  and  looked  into  the  smiling  eyes 
of  my  big  American  bending  above  me.  For  a  moment  I 
could  not  recall  myself  to  my  surroundings,  for,  if  most  of 
my  slumber  had  been  dreamless,  the  latter  part  of  it  had  been 
crowded  with  visions  in  which  the  face  and  form  of  Mademoiselle 
Desloge,  promenading  the  ship's  deck  beside  me  on  a  stormy 
ocean,  galloping  with  me  through  the  sweet  Devonshire  lanes, 
bending  over  me  as  nurse  and  guardian  while  I  lay  dying  of 
the  terrible  yellow  scourge,  had  been  most  persistent. 

"Where  am  I?  Where  did  you  come  from?  What  time  is 
it  ?  "  I  asked,  all  in  a  breath,  as  I  struggled  to  my  feet  and 
began  to  throw  off  my  lethargy. 

"  It  'a  nearly  two  o'clock  and  we  are  to  dine  at  the  Grange 
at  four.  I  have  been  in  here  a  dozen  times  through  the  morn 
ing  but  you  were  sleeping  so  soundly  I  had  n't  the  heart  to  dis 
turb  you.  Now  you  will  have  barely  time  to  dress  and  take  a 
bite  of  breakfast,  which  I  have  ordered  to  your  rooms.  We 
must  be  off  by  half  past  two." 

There  was  a  knock  at  the  door  as  he  finished  speaking  and 
one  of  the  innumerable  black  Mercurys  entered  bearing  a  tray 
whose  appetizing  odors  convinced  me  at  the  same  moment  that 
my  long  sleep  had  effectually  cured  me  of  my  land-illness  and 
that  I  was  as  hungry  as  a  bear.  It  was  a  breakfast  for  two 
and  as  we  sat  about  the  little  table  the  black  boy  deftly  spread 

70 


I  MEET  A  WIT  71 

•for  us,  devouring,  with  the  relish  of  hungry  men,  good  land 
food,  such  as  our  five  weeks  on  the  sea  had  made  us  strangers 
to,  the  American  explained  his  arrangements  for  the  afternoon. 
He  had  ordered  a  curricle,  since  we  would  arrive  in  better 
shape  for  dinner  by  curricle  than  by  horse,  and  it  would  be  at 
the  door  in  three-quarters  of  an  hour  —  could  I  be  ready? 

I  was  ready,  and  though  I  did  not  cut  so  fine  a  figure  as  the 
American  —  who  would  have  outshone  all  other  men  had  he 
been  dressed  in  rags,  and  in  his  fine  Parisian  clothes  was  a 
figure  indeed  —  though  I  could  not  hope  to  rival  him  in  my 
personal  appearance,  I  was  quite  satisfied  with  myself,  since  I 
had  donned  my  best,  and,  being  something  of  a  philosopher  in 
those  days,  I  resolved  to  think  no  more  of  my  looks  but  be  free 
to  enjoy  to  the  best  of  my  ability  whatever  pleasant  things  were 
in  store  for  me. 

Bowling  along  at  a  lively  pace  over  a  country  road  where 
every  atom  of  dust  had  been  laid,  and  the  heavy  foliage  of  the 
overhanging  trees  had  been  washed  crisp  and  shining  by  the 
tremendous  downpour  of  the  morning,  we  came  to  a  great 
country  place  just  as  a  carriage  drawn  by  a  pair  of  spirited 
horses  rolled  through  the  gates.  Leaning  back  among  the 
cushions  of  the  carriage  was  a  very  striking-looking  young 
woman  —  I  hardly  knew  whether  or  not  to  call  her  beautiful  — 
and  by  her  side  was  a  young  man  whose  glowing  eyes  and  air 
of  devotion,  noticeable  even  to  the  passing  glance,  betrayed  his 
interest  in  his  companion. 

"It  must  be  Theodosia  Burr,"  said  the  American  in  a  low 
tone,  as  he  drew  to  one  side  to  give  the  road  to  the  carriage. 
The  gentleman  lifted  his  hat  and  the  lady  bowed  slightly  in 
acknowledgment  of  the  courtesy,  and  I  was  struck  with  the 
exceeding  beauty  of  the  smile  that  accompanied  the  bow.  I  was 
also  impressed  by  the  air  of  distinction  in  the  man,  a  young 
fellow  about  my  own  age. 

"A  goodly  pair,"  I  answered,  "but  who  is  Theodosia  Burr, 
and  who  is  the  young  man  so  openly  in  love  with  her  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  the  man,"  said  my  friend,  "  nor,  indeed,  do 
I  know  Miss  Burr.  But  I  am  quite  sure  it  is  she,  and  the 


72  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

man  is,  no  doubt,  one  of  the  many  reputed  victims  of  her 
charms." 

"  But  who  is  Miss  Burr  ?  "  I  persisted.  "  She  is  certainly 
endowed  with  a  fascinating  smile." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon/'  he  apologized,  "  I  could  not  have  ex 
pected  her  fame  to  reach  across  the  water,  though  we  hear  so 
much  of  her  here.  She  is  the  daughter  of  our  Vice-president, 
and  this  place  we  are  passing  is  Richmond  Hill,  his  home.  It 's 
a  famous  old  place  and  has  had  many  famous  occupants.  Our 
first  Vice-president,  John  Adams,  lived  here;  early  in  the  war 
it  was  Washington's  headquarters  and  later  it  was  the  head 
quarters  of  your  own  army  under  Sir  Guy  Carleton." 

I  looked  off  with  keen  interest  to  where  at  a  distance,  across 
park-like  grounds,  the  chimneys  and  roofs  of  a  great  house 
were  visible  among  the  trees. 

"  Washington  and  Carleton !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  It  is  a  beautiful 
place,  and  I  should  much  like  to  see  it  at  closer  range  since 
it  has  been  headquarters  for  two  such  distinguished  soldiers." 

"Doubtless  you  will.  Mr.  Burr  is  no  friend  of  Mr.  Hamil 
ton's  politically,  but  there  has  never  been  any  rupture  socially, 
I  believe,  and  his  daughter  is  very  warmly  loved  and  admired 
by  all  the  Hamiltons  from  the  general  down.  I  think  it  likely 
she  is  on  her  way  to  the  Grange  now  and  you  will  have  the 
pleasure  of  dining  with  her  and  no  doubt  be  invited  to  call." 

I  might  have  felt  more  excitement  at  the  prospect  of  meeting 
the  fascinating  Theodosia  but  that  with  every  roll  of  the  wheels 
bearing  us  smoothly  along  this  picturesque  country  road  I  was 
growing,  unaccountably,  more  and  more  nervous  with  the  per 
sistent  conjecture  as  to  whether  or  no  I  was  also  likely  to  meet 
Miss  Desloge  —  and,  if  I  did  meet  her,  how  I  was  to  conduct 
myself  in  her  presence.  Mr.  Hamilton's  manner  to  her  made 
it  seem  quite  possible  that  here  in  America  she  would  be  hon 
ored  as  a  guest,  instead  of  being  treated  as  a  servant.  What 
if  I  should  find  myself  seated  beside  her  at  table ! 

I  hope  that  I  was  not  quite  the  snob  that  my  perturbation 
at  this  thought  would  seem  to  indicate  me.  Indeed,  I  could 
not  explain  to  myself  why  I  should  be  so  disturbed  or  why  I 


I  MEET  A  WIT  73 

need  find  it  difficult  to  treat  her  exactly  as  her  host  treated 
her,  with  the  simple  courtesy  due  any  woman  so  situated  — 
any  lady,  I  might  truthfully  say  of  Miss  Desloge. 

Our  road  lay  along  the  crest  of  a  ridge  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  way,  giving  us  frequent  glimpses  of  a  majestic  river 
on  our  left,  dotted  with  white  sails.  Across  the  river  —  which 
was  here  broad  and  more  like  an  arm  of  the  sea  than  like  any 
river  I  had  ever  known  —  were  rocky  bluffs  crowned  with  hang 
ing  woods.  ?T  was  the  Jersey  shore,  my  companion  told  me, 
and  across  the  river  and  across  that  state  of  Jersey  lay  his 
homeward  road  to  Philadelphia. 

We  passed  many  other  beautiful  country  places,  and  my 
friend,  who  seemed  to  know  who  lived  in  most  of  them,  told 
me  we  were  on  the  western  side  of  that  famous  "  fourteen  mile 
round,"  Washington's  favorite  drive  when  he  lived  in  New  York 
as  President.  Not  far  beyond  Richmond  Hill  we  passed  the 
gates  of  Mr.  William  Bayard's  place.  Looking  up  an  avenue 
of  elms  I  could  see  a  pillared  porch  and  I  gazed  at  it,  thinking 
it  a  very  pleasant  place,  but  with  no  thought  that  I  should  one 
day  be  standing  on  that  porch  with  many  others,  tears  running 
down  our  faces  unheeded,  while  we  waited  breathlessly  for  news 
of  the  man  within. 

We  passed  through  the  quaint  little  village  of  Greenwich  and 
a  little  farther  on  took  a  short  cross-road  to  the  right  and  came 
out  on  the  Bloomingdale  Eoad  at  the  foot  of  a  high  hill  cov 
ered  with  the  wooded  park  of  a  gentleman's  estate,  and  a  fine 
house  in  the  distance  crowning  the  summit  of  the  hill.  The 
house  was  called  Inclenburg  and  the  hill  Murray  Hill,  the  Amer 
ican  said,  and  drew  up  for  a  minute  to  show  me  how  General 
Putnam's  troops,  guided  by  the  young  Aaron  Burr  in  their 
retreat  from  the  city,  slipped  by  Murray  Hill,  while  the  British 
who  had  landed  on  the  east  side  of  the  island  at  Kip's  Bay, 
were  resting  in  the  Inclenburg  woods,  and  Mrs.  Murray,  in  the 
house,  was  feasting  the  officers  and  charming  them  with  her  gay 
wit  into  forgetfulness  of  their  duty,  so  giving  the  Americans 
their  chance  to  escape. 

"  My  father  has  often  told  me,"  said  the  American,  as  he  drew 


74  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

his  long  lash  lightly  across  his  horse's  ears  and  we  started  on 
again  at  a  lively  pace,  "  that  to  Mrs.  Murray,  almost  as  much 
as  to  young  Burr,  belonged  the  honor  of  saving  the  army  from 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  British  in  their  retreat  from  New 
York." 

I  was  intensely  interested  in  it  all,  for  at  Oxford,  as  we 
studied  that  American  war,  my  heart  had  always  been  more  on 
the  side  of  the  Pitts  and  young  Charles  Fox  than  with  Lord 
North  and  the  old  King.  And  many  a  lively  discussion  had  I 
had  with  old  Hardwick,  my  tutor,  who  thought  it  treason  to 
His  Majesty  to  feel  any  sympathy  with  the  colonies  in  their 
struggle  for  freedom. 

Three  miles  beyond  Inclenburg  we  came  to  another  village 
which  the  Dutch  had  well  named  Bloomingdale,  and  from  there 
on  our  road  lay  just  above  the  great  river,  past  the  Apthorpe 
place  with  a  finer  mansion  than  any  I  had  yet  seen,  which  my 
friend  said  still  belonged  to  the  Apthorpes,  who  were  "  Tories  " 
but  took  no  part  in  the  struggle.  Then,  through  the  quaint 
village  of  Manhattanville,  and  just  where  a  road  branched  off 
to  the  right,  to  the  still  quainter  village  of  Harlem,  we  began  to 
climb  Harlem  Heights,  where  one  of  the  first  great  battles  of  the 
war  took  place. 

Talking  thus  of  many  things,  some  sober,  some  gay  and  deeply 
interested  in  them  all,  I  was  surprised  at  the  shortness  of  the 
drive  when,  at  a  sudden  turn,  my  friend  drew  up  before  a 
great  gate  and  handing  me  the  reins,  sprang  down,  opened  the 
gate  and  asked  me  to  drive  through,  while  I  stupidly  sat  waiting 
for  someone  to  run  out  from  a  porter's  lodge. 

There  was  no  porter's  lodge,  nor,  indeed,  was  there  any  park 
such  as  we  have  at  home,  but  there  were  large  grounds,  beau 
tifully  rolling  and  heavily  shaded,  and  a  winding  drive  leading 
up  to  where  the  chimneys  of  a  house  showed  in  the  distance. 
It  was  evidently  a  gentleman's  place  and  I  knew,  of  course,  it 
must  be  the  Grange,  and  began  to  feel  some  trepidation  at  the 
thought  of  meeting  the  great  man  and  his  family,  which  was 
not  lessened  by  the  sounds  of  laughter  and  the  mingling  of 
many  voices  as  we  drew  nearer.  We  had  been  rolling  through 


I  MEET  A  WIT  75 

a  long  green  lane,  with  soft  turf  under  our  horses'  feet,  and  the 
trees  so  heavily  arched  over  our  heads  as  to  make  a  semi-twi 
light,  very  grateful  on  the  hot  afternoon.  Now,  at  a  sudden 
turn,  we  came  full  upon  the  face  of  the  house,  and  before  it, 
scattered  over  a  lawn  shaded  by  tall  trees,  what  seemed  at  the 
first  glance  a  very  large  company  indeed.  The  light  dresses  of 
the  ladies  made  a  confused  blur  of  many  colors  in  my  eyes  and 
I  looked  quickly  away  from  them  to  where  a  group  of  four  men, 
evidently  just  arrived,  were  talking  to  the  great  Hamilton  him 
self.  At  the  sound  of  our  curricle  wheels,  Mr.  Hamilton  turned 
toward  us,  saluted  us  with  a  flashing  smile,  and  at  a  word  from 
him  the  group  of  men  walked  quickly  toward  us  with  the  evi 
dent  intention  of  giving  us  welcome.  This  seemed  to  me  so 
different  to  our  colder  English  fashion  that  I  must  needs  feel 
myself  color,  greatly  to  my  vexation,  and  when  the  curricle  was 
brought  to  a  standstill  I  fear  I  made  an  awkward  figure 
alighting  in  the  face  of  those  smiling  eyes  and  out-stretched 
hands. 

In  the  confusion  of  presentations  that  followed  the  faces  of 
two  of  the  men  graved  themselves  on  my  mind  at  the  first 
glance,  as  if  they  were  etched  with  steel,  and  they  were  the  two 
I  was  destined  later  to  know  to  my  sorrow. 

"  This  is  Mr.  Morris  of  Morrisania,  Sir  Lionel,"  Mr.  Ham 
ilton  had  said  in  presenting  to  me  the  handsomest  man  in  the 
party,  and  when  the  greetings  were  over  I  turned  to  him. 

"  I  met  a  Mr.  Roger  Morris  from  New  York  in  London,  Mr. 
Morris,"  I  said,  "  but  it  was  some  years  ago  and  I  was  but  a 
lad,  was  that — " 

"  No  relation,  Sir  Lionel !  "  Mr.  Morris  interrupted  quickly, 
with  a  humorous  shake  of  his  head,  implying  horror  at  the 
thought.  "  Your  Mr.  Morris  was  a  Tory  and  refused  to  take 
up  arms  against  his  sovereign,  and  I  was  a  rebel,  sir." 

"  This  is  Mr.  Gouverneur  Morris,"  Mr.  Hamilton  explained 
pleasantly,  "  at  present  our  senator  from  New  York  in  the  Con 
gress  of  the  United  States." 

"  And  chiefly  distinguished  for  his  colossal  impertinence,"  the 
other  returned  smilingly.  "  Mr.  Troup  came  out  to  make  me 


76  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

a  visit  at  Morrisania  and  I  suggested  that  we  ride  over  to  the 
Grange  and  invite  ourselves  to  dinner.  We  met  Mr.  Burr  and 
Mr.  La  Force  at  the  gates  and  now  Mr.  Hamilton's  dinner  party 
is  augumented  by  four  unexpected  guests.  I  am  sure  you  are 
not  so  uncivilized  in  England." 

I  really  thought  we  were  not,  but  of  course  I  could  not  say 
so,  and  one  of  the  two  men  who  had  made  such  an  impression  on 
me  at  the  first  glance  saved  me  the  necessity  of  saying  anything. 

"  Mr.  Hamilton  owes  me  a  dinner,"  he  said  in  a  voice  that 
reminded  me  of  a  river  of  oil  flowing  over  deep  waters,  so 
smooth  and  rich  was  it  in  quality  and  pitched  a  good  tone  lower 
than  the  voices  of  the  others.  "  He  stole  my  daughter  and  he 
cannot  expect  me  to  dine  alone.  I  met  Mr.  La  Force  by  the 
Collect  Pond  on  his  way  to  call  on  Theodosia,  and,  knowing 
she  was  here,  I  did  as  Mr.  Morris  did,  brought  my  guest  with 
me.  And  if  I  did  not  demand  dinner  for  us  both  the  hint  was 
sufficient  for  a  gentleman  of  such  well-known  hospitality  as 
Mr.  Hamilton." 

Not  till  he  spoke  of  his  daughter  had  I  realized  that  this  was 
the  Vice-president  of  the  United  States,  and  although  his  face 
had  already  made  a  vivid  impression  upon  me,  I  looked  at  him 
again  eagerly  —  a  slender  boyish  figure,  features  classically 
beautiful  and  a  glowing  dark  eye  that  fascinated  me  in  spite 
of  a  lurking  gleam  in  its  depths  that  I  did  not  altogether  like. 
He  and  Hamilton  were  not  unlike,  though  Hamilton's  face  was 
the  more  beautiful  and  by  far  the  more  trustworthy,  I  said  to 
myself,  and  the  eyes  franker  and  more  genial. 

It  is  possible  Mr.  Burr  recognized  that  I  had  been  at 
tracted  by  him,  for,  as  we  all  moved  over  toward  the  group  of 
ladies  under  the  elms,  he  fell  back  beside  me  and  entered  into 
a  pleasant  chat  over  the  political  situation  at  home,  with  which 
he  seemed  thoroughly  familiar  as,  indeed,  from  his  high  posi 
tion  as  Vice-president,  I  should  have  expected  him  to  be.  I 
could  not  pay  as  close  attention  or  make  as  sensible  replies  as 
I  might  have  done,  had  not  every  word  uttered  by  either  of  us 
been  bringing  us  a  step  nearer  to  that  interesting  group  on  the 
lawn  among  whom  I  looked  in  vain  —  and  whether  my  feeling 


I  MEET  A  WIT  77 

betook  more  of  disappointment  or  of  relief  I  could  not  be 
sure  —  for  Mademoiselle  Dcsloge. 

A  little  lady,  very  charming  but  no  longer  young,  separated 
herself  from  the  group  and  came  toward  us : 

"  My  dear  Lloyd !  "  she  exclaimed,  both  hands  outstretched 
to  the  big  American,  "  welcome  home !  " 

Her  face  sparkled  with  animation  and  something  very  like 
affection  as  Lloyd  bent  low  over  her  hand  and,  indeed,  raised  it 
to  his  lips,  after  the  fashion  he  had  learned,  I  suppose,  in 
France.  Without  waiting  for  her  husband  to  present  me  she 
turned  to  me  and  made  me  at  home  at  once  with  her  kindly 
greeting.  She  was  dressed  all  in  white  except  for  a  knot  of 
black  ribbon  in  the  lace  of  her  cap,  which,  I  supposed,  indicated 
mourning  for  someone,  though  I  did  not  know  until  later  that 
it  was  for  the  eldest  son,  killed  in  a  duel  two  years  before. 

"  Betty,"  said  her  husband,  interrupting  her  pretty  speeches 
to  me,  "  here  are  four  hungry  men ;  can  you  give  them  some 
thing  to  eat?" 

Mrs.  Hamilton  turned  with  a  little  French  shrug,  but  also 
with  a  smile  of  real  affection,  to  Mr.  Morris: 

"  I  have  a  great  mind  to  send  you  and  Mr.  Troup  back  to 
Morrisania  dinnerless.  Why  did  you  refuse  to  come  yesterday, 
when  we  were  all  alone,  and  come  to-day  when  you  will  be  sure 
to  monopolize  the  guests  we  want  for  ourselves  ?  " 

And  then  with  a  shade  of  reserve  and  a  courtesy  that  was 
gracious  yet  somewhat  stately,  she  turned  to  Mr.  Burr: 

"  You  are  very  welcome  to  our  poor  table,  Mr.  Burr,  and 
any  friend  the  Vice-president  brings  with  him  is  welcome  also. 
I  am  sure  if  fowl  or  pasty  fall  short  you  will  make  all  due 
allowance." 

As  Mr.  Burr  presented  Mr.  La  Force  I  saw  to  my  amaze 
ment  that  he  was  a  perfect  stranger,  thus  shamelessly  —  so  it 
seemed  to  me  —  thrust  upon  a  dinner  party.  Yet  none  of  the 
others  seemed  to  think  this  remarkable,  and  I  concluded  it  was 
the  manner  of  the  country.  A  moment  later  I  found  myself 
making  my  bow,  first  to  the  young  lady  of  the  house,  Miss  An 
gelica,  whose  name  did  not  belie  her  looks;  and  then  to  the 


78  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

owner  of  that  strangely  fascinating  face  I  had  seen  in  the  car 
riage,  who  proved  to  be,  as  Lloyd  had  supposed,  Mr.  Burr's 
daughter,  but  no  longer  Miss  Burr,  since  she  had  been  for  a 
year  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Alston  of  South  Carolina  and  was  now 
home  on  a  visit  to  her  father.  She  returned  my  bow  with  an 
other  of  those  enchanting  smiles,  though  what  struck  me  most 
was  the  look  of  adoration  with  which  her  face  fairly  glowed  as 
her  glance  rested  on  her  father. 

There  were  two  or  three  other  young  men  and  maidens  whose 
names  I  did  not  easily  distinguish,  but  I  saw  nowhere  the  young 
man  we  had  met  in  the  carriage  with  Mrs.  Alston.  As  soon 
as  possible  after  the  introductions  Mr.  Hamilton  drew  me  aside : 

"  A  word  in  your  ear,  Sir  Lionel,  if  you  please,"  he  said,  and 
led  me  off  with  him  toward  a  small  shrubbery  nearby. 

"  It  seems,"  he  began,  as  soon  as  we  were  out  of  ear-shot  of 
the  others,  "  that  I  made  an  unpardonable  blunder  this  morn 
ing.  I  supposed,  in  good  faith,  that  I  was  going  to  meet  Miss 
Livingston's  maid,  but  Miss  Livingston  herself,  who  arrived  at 
noon  on  her  father's  sloop,  is  quite  indignant  at  the  suggestion. 
She  says  Mademoiselle  Desloge  is  a  paid  companion,  hired  for 
the  improvement  of  her  French;  that  she  is  thoroughly  respect 
able  and  that  she  intends  to  take  her  everywhere  into  society 
with  her.  She  insists  that  she  shall  be  presented  at  dinner  this 
afternoon  and  she  is  at  this  moment  waiting  with  Mademoiselle 
Desloge  in  the  shrubbery  until  I  shall  have  made  this  explana 
tion  to  you.  They  insist  on  my  making  it,  lest  you  should 
think  that  in  this  country  we  have  ladies'  maids  at  table  with 
us.  I  cannot  sufficiently  regret  such  a  discourtesy  to  Miss  Des- 
lodge  " —  and  with  that  we  turned  the  corner  of  the  shrubbery 
and  came  flat  upon  two  young  ladies  and  two  young  gentlemen. 

One  of  the  young  ladies,  without  doubt,  was  Miss  Livingston, 
tall  and  with  an  air  of  distinction.  She  looked  up  quickly  at 
the  sound  of  our  feet  on  the  gravel,  but  the  other  did  not  seem 
to  notice  us,  for  the  young  man  beside  her  was  evidently  tell 
ing  her  a  capital  tale,  laughing  hilariously  at  his  own  wit,  and 
she,  I  noted  jealously,  too  absorbed  in  the  handsome  young  fel 
low  to  see  an  old  acquaintance.  It  was  the  young  man  who  had 


I  MEET  A  WIT  79 

seemed  so  interested  in  Mrs.  Alston  in  the  carriage,  and  I  made 
up  my  mind  on  the  spot  not  to  like  him,  since  he  was  evidently 
of  that  light-headed  class,  taken  with  every  new  face,  married 
or  unmarried,  if  it  he  but  a  pretty  one,  and  to  whom  women, 
even  those  who  ought  to  know  better,  are  always  unaccountably 
attracted. 

But  while  I  was  thinking  these  thoughts  I  was  making  my 
bow  to  Miss  Livingston  and  taking  a  close  scrutiny  of  her,  since 
I  was  interested  to  know  into  what  kind  of  hands  Miss  Desloge's 
future  was  to  be  entrusted.  On  the  whole,  I  rather  liked  her. 
She  was  decidedly  handsome,  though  she  suffered  a  little  in 
comparison  with  Miss  Desloge's  beauty,  as  every  woman  needs 
must.  But  it  was  the  look  of  frank  good  nature  in  her  eyes 
that  pleased  me  most,  and  though  I  was  soon  to  learn  that  she 
could  be  sarcastic  when  she  chose,  her  sarcasm  was  of  that  com 
paratively  mild  type,  not  wholly  inconsistent  with  amiability. 
But  I  was  also  soon  to  learn  a  thing  which  seemed  far  more  in 
compatible  with  amiability  than  mild  sarcasm,  that  Miss  Liv 
ingston  could  be,  to  her  dependents,  haughty  and  imperious  to  a 
degree. 

It  had  flashed  through  my  mind  that  it  was  a  strange  thing 
to  see  her  at  a  dinner  party  when  her  father  was  perhaps  dying 
in  the  city  with  yellow  fever,  and  I  was  relieved  therefore  when 
a  few  minutes  later  she  said  to  me: 

"  You  must  not  think  me  heartless,  Sir  Lionel.  I  was  greatly 
vexed,  on  my  arrival  at  noon,  to  find  a  party  on  hand,  though 
Mrs.  Hamilton  assured  me  that  it  was  not  a  party  but  a  wel 
come  home  to  a  friend  just  returned  from  abroad,  and  to  a 
friend  of  his  arriving  on  the  same  ship,  and  that  I  need  not 
feel  I  was  showing  any  lack  of  concern  in  my  uncle's  ill 
ness  by  being  present  with  the  company.  My  father  is  still 
abroad,  you  know,  but  his  sloop  came  down  with  one  of  my 
uncles  aboard,  hoping  to  find  Uncle  Edward  well  enough  to  be 
taken  back  to  Clermont,  and  I  took  advantage  of  the  oppor 
tunity  to  come  with  him  to  meet  Miss  Desloge,  though  I  was 
only  allowed  to  come  on  my  solemn  promise  to  go  no  nearer  the 
city  than  the  Grange." 


80  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Oh !  "  I  said  stupidly,  "  then  Mr.  Edward  Livingston  is  not 
your  father  ?  " 

"Uncle  Edward!  Have  you  been  thinking  me  so  heartless 
as  that !  Uncle  Edward  is  far  too  young  a  man  to  be  my  father 
—  his  children  are  not  yet  in  their  teens/'  And  then  she  added, 
I  thought  with  a  little  touch  of  pride,  "  I  am  the  daughter  of 
Mr.  Robert  Livingston,  at  present  serving  his  country  as  Am 
bassador  to  the  Republican  court  of  Prance/' 

"  Mr.  Eobert  Livingston !  "  I  exclaimed,  glad  of  a  bond  to 
any  person  in  this  new,  strange  country.  "  Your  father,  then, 
is  a  friend  of  my  father,  and  it  is  to  him  I  am  indebted  for  my 
letters  of  introduction  in  America  and  particularly  for  one  to 
your  Uncle  Edward.  I  regret  much  to  find  him  in  such  a  sad 
state  on  my  arrival." 

I  thought  she  blushed  a  little  when  I  said  that,  though  I 
could  not  guess  why,  and  it  was  fully  a  year  before  I  learned  that 
I  was  correct  in  thinking  she  blushed,  and  learned  also  the  rea 
son  for  it. 

But  she  rallied  quickly  from  her  discomfiture,  if  she  felt  any. 

"  I  know  now  why  you  seemed  like  an  old  acquaintance  when 
I  met  you,"  she  said  gayly.  "  You  know  my  father,  at  least  by 
proxy." 

"  And  am  a  friend  by  proxy,  also,"  I  returned  gallantly,  "  and 
shall  therefore  hope  to  be  a  friend  of  the  daughter  in  persona." 

Here  the  young  man  to  whom  she  had  been  talking  when  we 
came  up,  and  who  had  been  presented  in  due  course,  broke  in : 

"I  bid  you  beware,  Sir  Lionel.  It  is  a  dangerous  thing  to 
claim  friendship  with  Miss  Livingston;  she  puts  it  to  some 
strange  tests.  I  have  thought  for  three  years  that  I  had  a  right 
to  make  that  claim,  but  Miss  Livingston  has  just  convinced  me 
that  I  have  been  over-presumptuous  in  so  thinking." 

I  thought  Miss  Livingston  looked  a  little  vexed  at  that.  She 
colored  again  and  answered  with  something  like  asperity: 

"  Three  years !  Sir  Lionel,  you  can  see  for  yourself  that 
three  years  ago  Mr.  Kemble  was  a  mere  lad,  and  I  trust  you  can 
see  that  I  was  far  too  young  to  be  thinking  of  friendships  with 
lads." 


"You  know  my  father,  at  least  by  proxy 


I  MEET  A  WIT  81 

Now  I  had  been  struck  with  the  elegance  of  Mr.  Kemble's 
appearance  and  the  courtliness  of  his  manner,  for  which  I  was 
hardly  prepared  in  so  new  a  country.  I  could  see  that  he  liked 
neither  Miss  Livingston's  speech  nor  the  manner  of  it,  for  he 
colored  and  bit  his  lip ;  but  he  said  no  word  in  reply,  only  bowed 
low  and  turned  again  to  Mr.  Hamilton,  with  whom  he  had  been 
conversing. 

All  this  time  I  had  had  no  notice  from  Mademoiselle  Desloge 
other  than  a  slight  nod,  delivered  carelessly  between  two  smiles 
bestowed  upon  the  man  with  whom,  at  some  little  distance,  she 
was  still  conversing  in  a  most  particular  manner,  it  seemed  to 
me.  Now  I  was  to  see  the  other  phase  of  Miss  Livingston. 

"  Mademoiselle  Desloge,"  she  called  imperiously,  "  do  you 
consider  it  good  manners  not  to  show  any  interest  in  a  fellow 
ship-passenger?  That  may  be  courtesy  in  France;  we  do  not 
so  consider  it  in  America." 

I  thought  her  irritation  with  Mr.  Kemble  must  be  responsi 
ble  for  such  an  astounding  speech  and  I  wondered  if  there  had 
been  a  lovers7  quarrel.  Its  effect  on  those  hearing  it  was  widely 
diverse.  The  man  with  whom  Miss  Desloge  was  talking  stared 
for  a  moment  at  the  speaker  with  round-eyed  astonishment, 
then  quickly  dropped  his  eyes  in  embarrassment.  Mr.  Hamilton 
turned  away  and  I  did  not  see  his  face.  A  slight  smile  curled 
Mr.  Kemble's  lips  —  I  could  not  read  its  meaning;  perhaps  it 
expressed,  superciliously,  a  previous  acquaintance  with  the  strange 
moods  of  the  speaker.  I  glanced  at  Mademoiselle  Desloge. 
A  wave  of  color  deluged  the  milky  whiteness  of  neck  and  brow, 
her  eyes  were  on  the  ground,  and  as  the  man  beside  her,  quickly 
recovering  from  his  embarrassment,  turned  to  her  and  gallantly 
offered  her  his  arm,  she  moved  slowly  toward  us,  still  with 
downcast  eyes. 

Hot  with  indignation  at  Miss  Livingston,  whom  I  had  at  first 
been  inclined  to  like,  I  sprang  eagerly  to  meet  Mademoiselle 
Desloge  and  express  my  pleasure  in  the  meeting.  Miss  Living 
ston  cut  short  my  eager  words,  with  intentional  rudeness,  I  be 
lieved. 

"  Allow  me,  Sir  Lionel,  to  present  to  you  Mr.  Irving,  Mr. 
6 


82  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Washington  Irving,  the  wit  par  excellence  of  New  York  society." 

"  Do  not  make  me  feel  like  a  fool  par  excellence,  I  beg,  Miss 
Livingston,"  he  objected,  which  I  thought  showed  better  sense 
than  I  had  given  the  fellow  credit  for.  "  I  hope,  Sir  Lionel," 
he  went  on,  "  that  when  you  know  me,  you  will  discover  I  am 
neither  a  wit  nor  a  fool." 

And  then  to  Miss  Desloge,  with  a  smile  which,  I  had  to  con 
fess,  lit  up  his  handsome  face  radiantly,  "  You  have  not  found 
me  either  the  one  or  the  other,  have  you,  Mademoiselle  ?  " 

His  smile  was  so  gay  and  genial  as  he  said  it  (though  I 
thought  his  mouth  too  small  and  too  beautifully  formed  for  a 
man's,  and  his  milk-white  teeth  too  evenly  set)  he  almost  won 
my  liking  in  spite  of  me. 

"  Certainly  not  the  fool/'  Miss  Desloge  answered  with  a  be 
witching  smile  in  return,  "  but  I  will  not  swear  that  I  have  not 
found  you  the  other." 

"  Puppy  !  Coxcomb  !  "  I  muttered  under  my  breath  and  men 
tally  ground  my  teeth  with  rage. 


VIII 

THE  SHADOW  OF  A  COMING  EVENT 

NOW  at  Oxford,  though  I  had  kept  up  my  prescribed  read 
ing  sufficiently  to  pass  the  Schools,  and  even  perhaps  with 
some  credit  to  myself,  if  the  episode  of  Peggy  had  not  pre 
vented,  yet  there  was  another  kind  of  reading  that  I  delighted 
in  more.  I  reveled  in  poetry,  and  there  were  three  new  poets 
over  whom  Oxford  was  greatly  excited  at  that  time  —  Mr. 
Wordsworth,  Mr.  Coleridge  and  Mr.  Southey.  There  was  a 
little  company  of  us  who  devoured  their  poems  as  they  appeared 
and  who  believed  that  no  English  poets,  save  only  the  im 
mortal  Shakespeare,  had  ever  written  anything  greater  than  The 
Ancient  Mariner  or  Thalaba  the  Destroyer.  I  had  tried  my 
hand  at  ballads  in  imitation  of  those  sweet  ones  of  Mr.  Words 
worth,  and,  in  my  own  estimation,  I  was  not  wholly  unsuccess 
ful  in  the  art.  Just  before  I  left  Oxford  there  had  appeared  a 
little  volume  of  verses,  "  Lays  of  Border  Minstrelsy,"  by  a  Mr. 
Scott,  a  Mr.  Walter  Scott  whom  nobody  knew.  Our  little  com 
pany,  who  had  formed  themselves  into  a  society  of  criticism  and 
censorship  on  all  new  literary  productions,  were  greatly  divided 
as  to  its  merits.  Most  of  them  said  it  was  nothing  but  a  col 
lection  of  jingles  and  not  even  purporting  to  be  original  with 
the  author.  As  to  their  originality  I  could  not  say,  but  I  con 
tended  they  had  caught  the  very  spirit  of  border  life,  and  as 
to  the  jingles  I  confessed  to  a  sneaking  liking  for  a  jingle  so 
long  as  it  did  not  jangle.  But  I  was  greatly  in  the  minority, 
and  Peggy  appearing  on  my  horizon  soon  after,  I  forgot  all 
about  Mr.  Walter  Scott  for  the  time,  forsook  my  company  of 
critics  and  betook  myself  to  solitude  and  the  fashioning  of  son 
nets  a  la  Mr.  Shakespeare. 

But  poetry  had  not  been  my  only  delight.     Any  tale  of  love 

83 


84  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

and  romance  found  a  ready  entrance  to  my  mind.  Sir  Charles 
Grandison,  Pamela  and  Clarissa  Harlowe,  and  the  romantic  tales> 
of  Mrs.  Badcliffe,  I  eagerly  devoured.  But  I  loved  even  better 
the  Italian  tales  of  Mr.  Boccaccio  told  in  the  Florentine  villa 
by  that  gay  company  who  had  fled  to  the  hills  from  the  scourge- 
stricken  city.  Now  all  the  while  we  were  chattering  under  the 
trees  waiting  for  Mrs.  Hamilton's  dinner  to  be  announced,  there 
was  running  through  my  head,  almost  unconsciously,  a  com 
parison  between  this  gay  company  and  the  heartless  ladies  and 
gentlemen  of  the  Decameron.  It  was  something  I  was  ill  pre 
pared  for,  to  find  Anglo-Saxons  so  coldly  oblivious  to  the  suf 
fering  of  their  neighbors,  for  not  once,  outside  of  Miss  Liv 
ingston's  explanation  to  me,  was  the  subject  of  the  scourge 
introduced.  I  wondered  that  these  men,  chivalrous  and  brave 
in  their  bearing,  should  not  have  emulated  the  good  Livingston's 
example,  whose  devotion  to  his  fellow-citizens,  I  understood, 
had  laid  him  low,  and  I  began  to  despise  the  courtly  Kemble 
as  a  mere  coxcomb,  the  gay  and  witty  Irving  as  an  idle  trifler, 
and  the  distinguished  Morris,  Troup  and  Hamilton  as  selfish 
aristocrats. 

But  at  dinner  I  changed  my  mind.  I  found  that  most  of 
these  men,  all  indeed  except  Mr.  Burr  and  Mr.  La  Force,  were 
members  of  a  little  company  who  were  banded  together  for  the 
nursing  and  care  of  the  sick;  that  the  company  was  divided 
into  two  groups,  each  nursing  two  days  and  resting  two  days; 
and  that  it  was  a  matter  of  principle  with  them  to  spend  their 
days  of  rest  in  such  simple  gayeties  as  might  be  found  at  the 
country-houses  open  to  them,  believing  that  thus  they  best  pre 
served  themselves  in  the  proper  physical  condition  for  their 
work.  My  heart  glowed  within  me  when  I  gathered  all  this 
from  their  talk,  and  learned  that  on  the  morrow  morning  these 
men,  so  debonair,  and  some  of  them  so  courtly,  would  be  hard 
at  work  in  the  worst  stricken  sections  of  the  city,  performing 
nauseous  services  for  the  sick  and  dying  and  dead.  I  turned 
to  Mr.  Irving,  who  was  my  near  neighbor  at  table. 

"  You  must  admit  me  to  your  band/'  I  demanded,  "  and  set 


THE  SHADOW  OF  A  COMING  EVENT  85 

ine  to  work  at  once.  There  must  be  enough  work  for  another 
helper." 

"  More  than  enough,"  he  responded  courteously,  "  but  I  think 
it  hardly  safe  for  a  foreigner,  so  newly  arrived  and  wholly 
unused  to  our  climate,  to  venture  into  the  limits  of  contagion." 

Miss  Desloge  had  not  heard  my  request  to  Mr.  Irving,  which 
had  purposely  been  preferred  in  low  tones  but  she  heard  his 
response,  and  looked  up  at  me  in  a  startled  way  that  seemed 
half  terror  and  which  was  the  first  sign  of  interest  in  me  she 
had  shown  since  my  arrival  at  the  Grange. 

"  I  believe  for  that  very  reason  I  would  be  fever-proof,"  I 
insisted,  "  since  I  am  not  full  of  the  poison  which  breeds  the 
fever  in  your  climate." 

But  Mr.  Hamilton  interposed : 

"  No,  no,  it  would  never  do,  Sir  Lionel !  Your  father  would 
never  forgive  us  if  we  exposed  you  needlessly  to  the  fever,  and 
on  your  first  arrival.  Were  Mr.  Livingston,  to  whom  you  are 
accredited,  and  who,  I  suppose,  would  have  some  authority  with 
you,  in  a  condition  to  express  his  opinion,  he  would  not  listen 
to  it  for  a  minute." 

"  My  father,  sir,"  I  urged  respectfully,  "  would  be  the  first 
to  approve  of  my  purpose.  He  has  sent  me  here  to  learn  self- 
reliance  and  how  to  conduct  myself  in  all  the  affairs  of  life. 
I  can  fancy  no  better  school  than  a  scourge-stricken  city,  and 
no  better  training  than  the  nursing  of  the  sick." 

Mr.  Hamilton  and  Mr.  Irving  were  still  unconvinced,  and 
the  topic  having  become  general  there  was  universal  protest 
raised  against  an  unacclimated  stranger  subjecting  himself  to 
such  needless  peril.  Mr.  Hamilton  appealed  to  my  friend 
Lloyd  to  use  his  influence  with  me,  and  as  I  turned  to  him,  I 
found  his  eyes  on  me  and  glowing  with  what  I  was  sure  was  ap 
probation. 

"I  think  Sir  Lionel  is  quite  right,"  he  said  gravely.  "It 
is  a  man's  duty  to  help  his  fellow  man  whenever  the  occasion 
arises.  I  believe  his  father  would  have  just  cause  to  feel  dis 
satisfaction  with  him  should  he  refuse  his  help.  If  a  higher 


86  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

duty  did  not  call  me  home  immediately,  I  should  be  proud 
indeed  to  share  his  service." 

Mr.  Hamilton  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  always  knew  you  were  quixotic,  Lloyd,"  he  said  humor 
ously.  "  Mademoiselle  Desloge,  you  are  a  Frenchwoman,  and 
therefore  a  woman  of  sense,  and  you  are  an  entirely  dis 
interested  judge;  I  appeal  to  you." 

To  my  surprise,  Miss  Desloge  was  very  white,  and  it  seemed 
to  be  with  some  difficulty  that  she  controlled  her  voice  to 
speak. 

"  It  is  very  chivalrous  and  very  noble  of  Sir  Lionel  to  make 
the  offer,  but  I  agree  with  Mr.  Hamilton,"  she  said  in  a  low 
voice ;  "  it  is  a  useless  sacrifice  to  expose  one  so  entirely  inex 
perienced  in  hot  climates  and  their  diseases,  and  I  am  very 
sure  Lord  Marchmont  would  object  strongly." 

I  was  so  foolishly  elated  that  Miss  Desloge  should  think  me 
"  noble  "  that  it  did  not  occur  to  me  until  a  long  time  after 
to  wonder  that  my  father's  title  should  come  so  glibly  from  her 
tongue.  And  if  she  had  meant  to  dissuade  me  from  my  pur 
pose  she  had  gone  the  wrong  way  about  it.  If  she  thought 
it  "  chivalrous  "  in  me  to  offer  to  help  nurse  the  fever-stricken, 
then  nothing  anyone  could  say,  not  even  herself,  should  per 
suade  me  differently. 

Nor  had  I  ever  seen  her  so  beautiful.  On  shipboard  she 
had  worn  only  such  clothes  as  were  suitable  to  a  rough  sea- 
voyage,  and  though  they  could  not  disguise  her  beauty,  neither 
did  they  set  it  off  as  did  the  dainty  frock  of  white  India  muslin, 
sprigged  with  rosebuds  and  decked  with  flowing  lace  and  flutter 
ing  ribbons  at  neck  and  elbows.  On  shipboard  her  shoulders 
had  always  been  decorously  protected  with  a  handkerchief  and 
long  sleeves  covered  her  arms;  now  her  gown  was  low  enough 
to  disclose  shoulders  and  throat  of  drifted  snow  and  the  lace 
of  her  sleeves  fell  back  from  the  elbow  to  bare  an  arm  and  taper 
ing  wrist  more  beautifully  molded  than  any  I  had  ever  seen  in 
marble. 

I  had  small  chance  to  talk  to  her  but  I  could  see  that  young 
Irving  and  Mr.  La  Force  were  vying  with  each  other  to  win 


THE  SHADOW  OF  A  COMING  EVENT  87 

her  notice,  and  that  Mr.  Burr  cast  many  admiring  glances  her 
way,  and  did  not  disdain  to  try  those  arts  of  fascination  with 
her  that,  I  learned  later,  had  been  so  successful  with  many  of 
his  country-women.  I  was  seated  by  Miss  Livingston  and  she 
proved  herself  so  entertaining  that  I  forgot  for  the  time  my 
indignation  with  her  at  her  treatment  of  Miss  Desloge.  I 
could  not  but  observe  that  she  kept  a  constant  surveillance  of 
her  "companion,"  yet  it  seemed,  on  the  whole,  a  friendly  one, 
though  as  she  frequently  directed  my  attention  to  her  it  be 
came  at  times  embarrassing  to  me. 

"  See,"  she  said  in  a  confidential  half-tone  to  me,  "  the 
Vice-president  himself  is  trying  his  arts.  My  protege"  must 
be  a  charmer  indeed  if  Mr.  Burr  considers  her  worthy  of  his 
steel." 

"  Is  Mr.  Burr  so  difficult  to  please  ?  "  I  asked,  not  knowing 
what  else  to  say. 

"  He  would  be  difficult  to  please,  indeed,  I  think,  if  Ma 
demoiselle  Desloge  did  not  please  him,"  she  answered,  "  in  wit 
and  beauty;  but  our  Vice-president  looks  for  wealth  and  social 
position  as  well  in  his  victims.  You  know  his  reputation,  do 
you  not?  No  woman  can  withstand  his  wiles  if  he  chooses  to 
exert  them." 

"  But  has  he  not  a  wife  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  he  is  a  widower,  and  a  very  gay  one,  though  his 
devotion  to  his  daughter  is  so  great  —  they  are  such  good  com 
rades  —  that  he  has  never  married  again." 

And  then  abruptly: 

"  Do  you  know,  I  do  not  like  that  Mr.  La  Force !  If  he  takes 
to  making  love  to  Mademoiselle  I  shall  interfere.  Oh  la! 
I  see  I  am  to  have  my  hands  full  with  such  a  pretty  companion. 
I  ought  to  have  secured  an  old  and  ugly  one  if  I  am  to  have 
any  comfort.  No  doubt  she  will  be  stealing  my  own  lovers 
presently,  but  when  it  comes  to  that,  I  '11  send  Missie  back  to 
France  posthaste." 

I  did  not  doubt  she  would  be  as  good  as  her  word,  and  see 
ing  how  every  man  that  came  near  Mademoiselle  Desloge  fell  a 
victim  to  her  charms  at  once,  I  began  to  feel  sorry  for  her. 


88  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Who  is  this  Mr.  La  Force  that  you  do  not  like  ?  "  I  asked 
to  divert  her  from  Miss  Desloge  as  a  topic  of  conversation. 

"  My  Uncle  Edward's  confidential  clerk.  My  uncle  is  mayor 
of  the  city,  as  you  probably  know,  and  also  attorney  of  the 
State,  and  Mr.  La  Force  serves  him  as  clerk  in  both  capacities, 
and  Uncle  Edward  trusts  him  implicitly." 

"  Your  uncle  knows  him  to  be  worthy  of  trust,  I  sup 
pose." 

"  Of  course,  but  that  does  not  prevent  my  disliking  the  way 
he  uses  his  eyes,  and  his  sleek  French  fashion  of  talking.  He 
is  one  of  Monsieur  Genet's  proteges,  and  since  Monsieur  Genet 
married  a  Clinton  and  the  Clintons  and  Livingstons  are  all 
good  Republicans.,  I  ought  to  like  him,  I  suppose,  but  I  can't." 

"  Is  Mr.  Burr  a  Republican  also,  and  Mr.  Hamilton  ? "  I 
asked,  beginning  to  feel  interested  in  American  politics. 

"  Mr.  Hamilton !  He  is  a  Federalist  of  the  Federalists !  I 
have  heard  Aunt  Kitty  Livingston  say  we  were  all  good  Federal 
ists  once,  but  the  French  Revolution  and  Mr.  Jefferson  split  us 
into  two  parties,  and  every  Livingston  became  a  French  partisan 
and  an  ardent  Republican." 

"And  Mr.  Burr?" 

"La,  how  you  put  me  through  my  catechism!  Are  you  an 
English  spy?" 

"  Not  at  all,  but  Mr.  Burr  interests  me." 

Miss  Livingston  hesitated. 

"  He  's  a  Republican,  too,  I  suppose,  but  some  people  say  he 
is  a  Burrite,  pure  and  simple.  I  do  not  believe  Governor  Clin 
ton  or  my  uncles  thoroughly  trust  him,  although  he  is  of  their 
party.  But  there,  Mrs.  Hamilton  is  giving  us  the  signal. 
Don't  sit  too  long  over  your  cups,  please;  I  want  to  return  your 
catechism  —  about  England." 

I  was  one  of  the  two  young  men  who  sprang  up  to  hold  back 
the  doors  for  the  ladies.  Mr.  La  Force  was  the  other. 

"  Beware,"  Miss  Livingston  whispered  laughingly,  as  she 
passed  me.  "  I  believe  Mr.  La  Force  has  designs  on  you.  I 
caught  him  looking  at  you." 

I  hardly  heard  her,  for  Miss  Desloge  was  immediately  behind 


THE  SHADOW  OF  A  COMING  EVENT  89 

her,  and  I  was  determined  to  make  her  look  at  me  and  give  me 
a  chance  to  thank  her  for  her  expressed  opinion  of  me.  But 
I  did  not  succeed,  for  as  she  passed  through  the  wide  open 
doors,  she  half  turned  her  back  on  me  and  with  a  sweeping 
curtsy  and  a  ravishing  smile  thanked  Mr.  La  Force  for  his 
service.  As  we  walked  back  to  the  table,  Mr.  La  Force  said  to 
me  courteously: 

"  I  heard  your  magnanimous  offer,  Sir  Lionel,  and  it  em 
boldens  me  to  ask  a  favor  from  you  in  Mr.  Livingston's  behalf. 
Since  his  illness  the  offices  are  left  entirely  in  my  charge,  and 
I  am  called  away,  unexpectedly,  to  be  gone  for  two  days.  I 
must  leave  to-morrow  night  and  cannot  possibly  get  back  be 
fore  the  second  night  following.  If  you  are  indeed  intending 
to  remain  in  this  pest-ridden  city,  would  it  be  asking  too  much 
of  you  to  sit  in  Mr.  Livingston's  office  from  ten  to  three  for 
those  two  days?  It  is  as  cool  and  comfortable  a  place  as  I 
think  you  can  find  in  the  city." 

The  proposition  took  my  breath  away.  I  would  have  declined 
it  promptly  on  the  spot,  save  that  it  was  put  as  a  favor  to 
Mr.  Livingston.  As  it  was,  I  temporized. 

"  You  honor  me,"  I  said  with  a  laugh.  "  I  came  near  going 
in  for  a  First  in  mathematics  at  Oxford,  but  as  for  books  and 
accounts,  I  fear  I  know  nothing  about  them." 

We  had  reached  the  table  and  Mr.  Hamilton  was  sitting  at 
the  upper  end  with  all  his  guests  gathered  about  him,  con 
venient  to  the  bottles  of  fine  old  Madeira  the  negro  butler  was 
placing  before  him.  Mr.  Gouverneur  Morris  was  at  his  right 
and  Mr.  Hamilton  called  to  me  to  take  the  place  between  him 
and  Mr.  Irving. 

"What  is  that  I  hear  about  accounts?"  he  asked  rather 
sharply,  and  I  caught  a  keen  glance,  swift  as  lightning,  di 
rected  toward  Mr.  La  Force  as  he  spoke. 

It  flashed  into  my  mind  that  if  there  should  be  anything 
not  quite  plain  and  above  board  in  Mr.  La  Force's  proposal,  as 
Mr.  Hamilton's  suspicious  glance  would  seem  to  indicate,  or 
if  he  should  have  "  designs "  on  me,  as  Miss  Livingston  had 
Suggested,  my  best  plan  was  to  state  his  proposal  openly  before 


90  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

all  these  gentlemen,  who  knew  the  conditions  so  much  better 
than  I.  So  I  answered: 

"Mr.  La  Force  asks  me  to  take  charge  of  Mr.  Livingston's 
office  for  a  couple  of  days  while  he  is  obliged  to  be  absent." 

I  thought  Mr..  La  Force  looked  a  little  disturbed  and  col 
ored  slightly,  but  he  took  up  my  explanation  imperturbably  as 
he  seated  himself  further  down  the  table. 

"  There  would  be  no  question  of  accounts.  It  would  simply 
be  sitting  in  a  cool  office  from  ten  to  three  with  such  pleasant 
reading  as  I  might  be  able  to  furnish,  so  that  some  trustworthy 
person  might  appear  to  be  in  charge,  and  the  office  properly 
guarded  in  Mayor  Livingston's  and  my  own,  unavoidable  ab 
sence.  I  should  not  have  thought  of  proposing  it  to  Sir  Lionel 
but  that  he  seemed  anxious  to  do  my  employer  a  service  by 
helping  to  nurse  him,  and  I  thought  he  might  be  doing  him  as 
great  a  service  in  this  way  and  with  much  less  peril  to  him 
self." 

"  Nonsense ! "  began  Mr.  Hamilton,  but  Mr.  Burr  interposed 
suavely, 

"  I  'm  not  sure  but  Mr.  La  Force  is  right.  If  Sir  Lionel 
insists  on  doing  Mr.  Livingston  a  service,  a  few  days  in  a 
comfortable  office  might  be  a  better  preparation  for  the  perils 
of  nursing  than  plunging  into  it  at  once  so  soon  after  a  long 
sea  voyage." 

My  new-found  friends  discussed  it  pro  and  con,  Mr.  Irving 
siding  warmly  with  Mr.  Burr,  and  Mr.  Hamilton  and  Mr. 
Morris  demurring,  without  so  much  as  consulting  me.  This 
seemed  to  strike  Mr.  Morris  at  last, 

"After  all,  it's  not  our  business,  but  Sir  Lionel's,  and  the 
casting  vote  is  his.  How  shall  it  be,  Sir  Lionel  ?  " 

I  had  been  slowly  coming  to  a  decision. 

"  I  will  do  as  Mr.  La  Force  asks,  provided  that,  immediately 
on  his  return,  Mr.  Irving  and  Mr.  Kemble  will  take  me  with 
them  and  initiate  me  into  the  mysteries  of  nursing." 

"  Well,  Patroon  ? "  interrogated  Mr.  Irving,  addressing  Mr. 
Kemble. 

"  I  'm  willing,  Jonathan,"  returned  Mr.  Kemble,  whereupon 


THE  SHADOW  OF  A  COMING  EVENT  91 

both  gentlemen  turned  to  me  and  gravely  gave  me  their  hands 
upon  it. 

"  Patroon,"  said  Mr.  Irving,  "  the  day  that  Sir  Lionel  is 
released  from  office  will  be  one  of  our  rest  days.  What  say 
you  to  taking  him  out  for  that  night  and  the  next  day  to 
Cockloft  Hall?" 

"  Well  and  good/'  agreed  the  "  Patroon "  gravely,  "  and  I 
will  see  if  we  can  get  hold  of  Doctor,  Sinbad,  Billy  Taylor,  the 
Supercargo  and  Ooromdates.  Nuncle  and  Captain  Great  Heart 
I  know  are  out  of  town." 

Here  was  a  promise  of  good  cheer,  for  I  knew  the  titles,  of 
course,  were  nicknames.  I  was  sure  this  young  fellow  was 
no  great  "  Patroon  "  and  "  Cockloft  Hall "  had  the  most  entic 
ing  suggestion  of  sport.  My  spirits  rose  steadily,  for  if  they 
were  all  as  enchanting  young  fellows  as  the  courtly  "  Patroon  " 
and  the  gay  "  Jonathan  "  I  foresaw  the  promise  before  me  of 
much  good  fellowship  to  lighten  my  exile. 

My  affairs  having  been  settled,  the  company  fell  naturally 
into  two  parts;  Mr.  Hamilton,  Mr.  Morris,  Mr.  Troup  and 
Mr.  Burr  forming  one,  and  we  youngsters  the  other.  There 
was  not  so  much  heavy  drinking  as  I  have  sometimes  seen  at 
English  dinner  tables  and  there  was  more  gay  talk  and  laughter, 
more  sparkling  wit  and  polished  repartee  among  the  younger  men 
than  I  had  been  accustomed  to,  and  with  which  I  sometimes 
found  it  difficult  to  hold  my  own.  I  attributed  this  brilliancy 
to  the  influence  of  the  French,  who,  I  knew,  had  swarmed  in 
such  numbers  to  America  and  had  given  a  French  tone  to 
New  York  society,  but  it  was  Mr.  Irving,  and  not  the  French 
man,  who  was  the  leader  in  the  gay  encounter  of  wit,  with  the 
courtly  Kemble  as  a  close  second.  My  friend  Lloyd  sat  rather 
quiet,  repressed,  no  doubt,  by  the  thought  of  the  sick  father  at 
home.  I  was  constantly  drawn  into  it,  and,  my  spirits  ris 
ing  steadily  with  the  feeling  of  emulation,  I  did  my  best  for 
the  honor  of  old  Oxford.  The  stories  I  told  were  most  of  them 
on  the  Dean  of  Magdalen,  a  character  in  Oxford  famous  for 
twisting  his  tongue.  They  would  have  been  stale  enough  at 
home  but  I  hoped  they  were  new  here.  I  was  in  the  act  of 


92  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

recounting  how,  at  the  vesper  service  at  Magdalen  on  Show  Sun 
day,  the  Dean  offered  my  aunt  and  a  young  lady  visiting  us 
(I  did  not  mention  Peggy's  name)  his  seat  in  chapel,  rising 
with  a  magnificent  flourish  and  a  stately  — "  Will  you  occu- 
pew  my  pie,  ladies  ? "  when,  amid  the  roar  of  laughter  with 
which  they  politely  greeted  my  little  tale,  I  caught  a  sentence 
uttered  by  Mr.  Hamilton,  his  magnetic  tones  a  little  raised  by 
the  heat  of  argument.  It  attracted  the  attention  of  the  others, 
also,  and  for  the  next  ten  minutes  we  young  men  were  silent, 
listening,  with  respectful  interest,  to  a  debate  between  the 
"  two  most  brilliant  men  in  the  country,"  Mr.  Irving  whispered 
in  my  ear. 

"  A  Democracy  is  the  most  mischievous  of  all  establishments," 
were  Mr.  Hamilton's  words  that  had  attracted  my  attention, 
"  A  Eepublic  the  most  ideal." 

"  I  do  not  altogether  agree  with  you,"  objected  Mr.  Burr 
suavely.  "  A  Democracy  is  a  government  of  the  people  and 
for  the  people,  a  Republic  is  sometimes  an  aristocracy." 

"  Every  cowherd  hopes  to  be  president  in  a  Democracy,"  ex 
claimed  Hamilton  scornfully. 

"  Why  not  ? "  asked  Burr  coolly,  "  if  the  cowherd  can  ac 
complish  it  ?  " 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  civilization,  pray?"  Hamilton 
rejoined  more  courteously,  evidently  recalling  himself  to  his 
obligation  as  host,  "  if  the  educated,  enlightened,  broad-minded, 
are  not  to  rule  ?  " 

"  I  believe  no  '  cowherd '  could  attain  to  the  presidency  with 
out  becoming  '  educated,  enlightened  and  broad-minded '  in  the 
process." 

"  I  differ  with  you,  sir.  If,  after  the  cowherd  had  become 
all  that,  by  some  miracle  of  nature  or  grace,  he  should  then  be 
willing  to  devote  his  superiority  of  mind  and  character  to  the 
benefit  of  mankind  by  assuming  the  responsibilities  of  office, 
I  would  be  the  last  to  object.  But  he  is  not  to  embellish  his 
understanding  for  the  sake  of  his  own  aggrandizement.  God 
knows  no  true  man  can  be  happy  in  power,  but  it  is  a  sacrifice 


THE  SHADOW  OF  A  COMING  EVENT  93 

for  the  good  of  the  mass  that  is  sometimes  demanded.  He 
will  be  the  sufferer,  but  mankind  will  be  the  happier." 

"  How  about  Bonaparte  ?  " 

"  You  know  what  I  think  of  Bonaparte,  sir,"  sternly.  "  But 
I  do  not  believe  him  to  be  a  greater  autocrat  than  Jefferson, 
only  our  tyrant  fools  the  world  by  wearing  dirty  old  clothes 
and  by  being  familiar  with  his  inferiors." 

Mr.  Burr  smiled. 

"  I  'm  not  sure  I  disagree  with  you  entirely  about  Mr.  Jef 
ferson,  though  it  may  be  treason  in  me  to  speak  so  of  my 
chief." 

"  Your  chief  has  a  consummate  knowledge  of  the  limited 
understanding;  he  knows  how  to  tickle  it  with  a  straw.  I 
consider  this  Louisiana  Purchase  as  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
a  bait  to  the  masses.  Our  country  was  large  enough,  God 
knows,  if  it  is  to  be  governed  well  and  as  a  whole." 

"  Then  you  think  Massachusetts  is  right  to  threaten  to  se 
cede  because  of  Louisiana?" 

Mr.  Burr  spoke  quickly,  with  a  keenness  of  glance  at  Ham 
ilton  that  betokened  his  interest  in  his  reply. 

"  God  forbid !  "  ejaculated  Mr.  Hamilton,  his  tone  deepen 
ing  and  his  eyes  glowing  with  earnestness.  "  I  pledged  every 
faculty  to  the  consummation  of  the  Union  —  I  will  pledge  my 
last  vital  spark  to  its  maintenance." 

"  Oh,  I  hope  it  will  never  come  to  that,"  returned  Mr.  Burr 
lightly,  "but  sometimes  I  think  that  with  this  Louisiana  Pur 
chase  consummated  the  country  is  big  enough  to  hold  two  na 
tions  within  its  borders;  and  since  the  interests  of  the  "West 
are  so  diametrically  opposed  to  those  of  the  East  it  might  not 
be  a  bad  idea  to  set  up  a  new  Eepublic  across  the  Mississippi." 

"  A  new  Republic  or  a  new  Empire  ?  "  interrogated  Mr.  Ham 
ilton,  again  with  that  keenly  suspicious  glance  at  Mr.  Burr. 
Could  it  be  he  suspected  him  of  any  designs  in  that  direction? 

"  Oh,  a  new  Republic,  of  course,"  replied  Mr.  Burr,  with  a 
slight  flush,  as  if  he  understood  and  resented  the  glance.  But 
here  the  conversation  became  general  once  more,  and  I  turned 


94  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

to  laugh  at  a  witty  jest  of  Mr.  living's,  but  with  a  feeling  that 
I  had,  in  these  few  minutes,  gained  a  glimpse  into  American 
politics,  and  more  than  a  glimpse  of  the  characters  of  the  two 
leading  personalities  in  those  politics. 

A  few  moments  later  Mr.  Hamilton  said,  "  Shall  we  join 
the  ladies  ? "  And  with  a  kindly  smile  directed  particularly 
to  me,  "  I  would  like  to  show  you  my  thirteen  trees,  Sir  Lio 
nel." 

We  found  the  ladies  seated  under  thirteen  beautiful  black 
gum  trees,  set  out,  Mr.  Hamilton  said,  to  commemorate  the 
thirteen  original  states.  My  eyes  fell  at  once  on  Mademoiselle 
Desloge  seated  under  one  of  them  and  holding  in  her  arms  a 
beautiful  baby  boy,  not  more  than  a  year  old,  with  a  crop  of 
golden  curls  tumbling  all  over  his  head  and  his  father's  won 
derful  dark  eyes.  I  was  quite  determined  that  I  should  have 
a  few  words  of  conversation  with  her  before  I  left  and  I  started 
directly  towards  her,  but  Mr.  Burr  was  ahead  of  me. 

"What  an  adorable  picture  of  a  Madonna,  Mademoiselle,"  I 
overheard  him  say  in  his  softest  tones. 

It  was  exactly  what  I  had  been  thinking,  but  nevertheless  I 
regarded  him  as  a  detestable  flatterer  for  voicing  my  thought, 
and  I  turned  to  Miss  Livingston. 

"  This  is  the  most  beautiful  spot  I  have  ever  seen,  Miss  Liv 
ingston.  Tell  me  what  I  am  looking  at,  please." 

We  were  standing  on  a  green  pinnacle,  the  land  falling  away 
from  us  on  all  sides.  Green  archways  at  our  right  and  our 
left  and  in  front  of  us  gave  us  three  different  landscapes,  each 
more  beautiful,  if  possible,  than  the  other.  To  the  left  was  a 
narrow  river  winding  among  wooded  ravines,  the  Haarlem, 
Miss  Livingston  said,  and  still  farther  to  the  left  and  a  little  to 
the  south,  the  wide  East  River.  On  the  right  lay  the  majestic 
Hudson,  bearing  a  hundred  white-sailed  sloops  on  its  broad 
bosom,  with  the  green  shores  and  bluffs  of  Jersey  for  a  back 
ground.  In  front  of  us,  ten  miles  away,  we  could  catch  silvery 
glimpses  of  the  bay  up  which  we  had  sailed  that  very  morning 
—  it  seemed  a  week  ago  —  and  between,  a  rolling  country  of 
field  and  forest  and  winding  roads,  and  blue  smoke  rising  here 


THE  SHADOW  OF  A  COMING  EVENT  95 

and  there  from  the  chimneys  of  some  comfortable  farmhouse 
or  gentleman's  country  mansion.  All  this  Miss  Livingston 
pointed  out  and  not  very  far  away  the  white-pillared  porch  of 
a  house  on  the  bluffs  above  the  Haarlem,  which  she  said  be 
longed  to  Mr.  Roger  Morris,  my  quondam  acquaintance,  and 
still  farther  to  the  south  and  east,  just  where  the  Haarlem 
emptied  into  that  other  great  river,  as  broad  as  the  Hudson 
and  like  it  dotted  with  white  sails,  the  smoke  from  the  chim 
neys  of  Morrisania,  Mr.  Gouverneur  Morris'  place.  And  far 
ther  still  to  the  north  a  faint  blue  mist  and  a  gleam  of  white 
that  she  said  belonged  to  the  Van  Cortlandt  Manor  House, 
which  I  must  certainly  see,  as  it  was  one  of  the  great  show- 
places  of  Manhattan. 

I  was  much  interested  in  the  wonderful  view  and  her  de 
scriptions,  but  not  so  absorbed  but  that  I  overheard  Mrs.  Ham 
ilton  say: 

"  Angelica,  show  the  young  people  Lovers'  Lane.  It  will  be 
very  beautiful  at  this  time  of  the  evening." 

There  were  exclamations  of  delighted  approval  from  the 
young  people  and  a  stir  as  of  arrangement  for  the  walk.  I 
saw  Mr.  Kemble  coming  toward  us  and  I  hurriedly  excused 
myself  to  Miss  Livingston  and  in  a  moment  was  at  Miss  Des- 
loge's  side.  I  was  in  time  to  hear  Mr.  Burr  say,  with  his  soft 
smile : 

"  I  wonder  if  I  might  be  considered  one  of  the  young  people 
for  a  walk  through  Lovers'  Lane  ?  " 

But  before  she  had  time  to  reply,  I  struck  in  boldly : 

"  Miss  Desloge,  may  I  claim  you  for  this  walk  ?  " 

Almost  to  my  surprise  she  looked  up  and  said  "  Yes, "  with 
that  same  twinkling  glance,  that  once  before  had  struck  me  as 
so  familiar,  and,  with  the  Vice-president  shaking  his  head 
reproachfully,  and  murmuring  ""  Cruel, "  we  followed  Mrs. 
Alston  and  young  Irving  down  a  steep  and  winding  path 
through  a  rocky  dell  where  the  trees  met  over  our  heads, 
allowing  only  occasional  shafts  of  the  western  sun  to  pierce  the 
green  canopy  above  and  gild  the  mossy  rocks  below,  and  with 
a  sparkling  little  stream  dancing  over  its  rocky  bed  beside 


96  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

us,  and  cool,  damp  odors  of  cedar  and  mint  filling  the  evening 
air,  until  we  came  out  on  a  green  terrace  just  above  the  river, 
where  we  sat  down  in  a  little  pavilion  on  the  bank  to  watch 
the  sunset,  a  flaming  canopy  of  crimson  and  gold  above  the 
dark  wooded  shores  of  Jersey.  We  watched  it  until  the  glory 
faded,  leaving  only  soft  gleams  on  the  shining  face  of  the  river, 
while  the  purple  twilight  settled  slowly  down  about  us,  and 
brilliant  fireflies,  such  as  I  had  never  seen  before,  fell  in 
showers  of  light  over  the  wooded  bluffs  behind  us  like  Guy 
Fawkes'  fireworks,  and  I  felt  that  I  would  be  quite  willing  to 
spend  the  two  years  of  my  exile  in  that  enchanted  spot  with 
Miss  Desloge  beside  me,  her  rich  contralto  tones  mingling 
with  the  laughter  and  the  songs  of  the  others  as  a  'cello  mingles 
with  tinkling  guitars  and  mandolins. 

A  wide  band  of  clear  yellow  still  lingered  over  the  black 
heights  of  Jersey.  Into  this  daffodil  sky  there  sailed  the  slender 
crescent  of  the  new  moon.  "  A  silver  shallop  on  a  golden  sea,  " 
Mademoiselle  Desloge  said,  and  we  turned  to  climb,  rather 
silently,  the  rocky,  winding  path  to  the  house  above. 

And  I,  for  one,  was  glad  it  was  steep,  since  she  could  not 
well  refuse  a  helping  hand,  even  if  she  would. 


IX 

AN  AMAZING  MEETING 

"XT  EITHER  Mr.  Burr  nor  Mr.  La  Force  had  been  of  our 
1^)  party  in  Lovers'  Lane.  Mr.  Burr  had  made  his  adieus 
to  Mrs.  Hamilton  —  I  imagined  rather  to  the  relief  of  that 
little  lady  —  before  we  started,  and  carried  off  Mr.  La  Force 
with  him  to  spend  the  night  at  Eichmond  Hill.  He  had  left 
Mrs.  Alston  to  the  care  of  Mr.  Irving  —  who,  Miss  Living 
ston  whispered  to  me,  had  been  an  unsuccessful  lover  when 
she  was  Theodosia  Burr  —  but  cautioned  them  against  being 
out  too  late,  since  the  mists  rising  at  night  from  river  and 
swamp,  more  particularly  from  the  Lispenard  Meadows,  were 
regarded  as  peculiarly  miasmatic  in  fever  times. 

I  could  not  but  admire  the  elegance  and  ease  with  which 
Mr.  Burr  made  his  adieus,  where,  even  to  a  stranger  like  my 
self,  it  was  evident  he  was  not  an  entirely  welcome  guest. 
Indeed,  there  was  something  about  the  man  that  fascinated 
me  in  spite  of  my  feeling  that  he  was  not  wholly  trustworthy. 
I  had  not  liked  his  attentions  to  Miss  Desloge  —  young 
enough  to  be  his  daughter  —  and  therefore  I  was  not  sorry  to 
see  him  go,  but  neither  was  I  sorry  to  have  him  say  as  he  said 
good-by,  "  We  shall  hope  to  see  you  at  Richmond  Hill,  Sir 
Lionel,  and  very  soon."  I  hoped  he  would  follow  up  the  in 
vitation  with  one  more  definite,  for  I  was  beginning  to  feel  a 
keen  curiosity  about  this  slender,  boyish  Vice-president  with 
his  smiling  eyes  and  his  silver  tongue. 

Mr.  La  Force,  also,  said  a  parting  word  to  me. 

"  Sir  Lionel,  could  you  be  at  Mayor  Livingston's  office  at  three 
o'clock  to-morrow  afternoon?  I  leave  the  city  at  five  and  I 
should  like  to  put  you  in  possession  before  I  go." 

I  agreed  to  be  there  at  three,  though  with  some  hesitation, 
7  97 


98  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

for  it  curtailed  a  little  the  ride  I  had  intended  to  make  with 
my  friend  Lloyd.  We  had  arranged  that  I  should  ride  with 
him  as  far  as  I  could  and  get  back  for  the  five  o'clock  ferry  from 
Paulus  Hook.  I  would  have  to  catch  the  twelve  o'clock  ferry, 
if  I  was  to  be  at  Mr.  Livingston's  office  by  three,  and  lose  five 
hours  of  my  farewell  visit  with  him.  Yet  I  could  easily  see  that 
it  was  quite  necessary  that  Mr.  La  Force  should  introduce  me 
to  my  duties  and  I  had  to  remind  myself  vigorously  that  it 
was  a  service  I  was  rendering  my  patron  and  friend,  ill 
through  his  own  noble  devotion,  and  not  a  service  to  Mr.  La 
Force,  whom,  for  some  reason,  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  like. 

Mr.  La  Force  was  no  doubt  regarded  as  a  handsome  man. 
His  dark  curling  hair  was  worn  a  la  Bonaparte,  neither  pow 
dered  nor  tied  but  cut  short  in  the  neck  with  one  curly  lock 
falling  over  the  forehead.  It  was  the  newest  fashion  and  I 
had  already  noticed  a  number  of  the  New  York  men  following 
it.  Because  it  was  French  and  introduced  by  Bonaparte,  no  self- 
respecting  Briton  would  have  adopted  it,  and  I  was  glad  to 
see  that  Hamilton  and  Morris  and  Irving  and  my  friend 
Lloyd  still  wore  their  hair  long  enough  to  be  neatly  tied  with 
a  ribbon.  I  had  to  confess,  however,  that  the  style  became 
Mr.  La  Force  extremely,  and  set  off  well  a  shapely  head,  and 
since  it  was  new  and  different  and  French,  no  doubt  made 
him  all  the  more  attractive  to  the  ladies.  His  mouth  was  small 
and  his  lips  a  brilliant  red,  and  when  he  smiled  he  flashed 
two  rows  of  very  white  teeth  in  what  I  regarded  as  a  most 
offensive  manner.  I  have  never  admired  a  small  mouth  in  a 
man,  and  yet  Mr.  Washington  Irving's  mouth  was  small  also, 
and  I  had  not  found  it  offensive,  for  his  lips  were  of  nature's 
pink,  not  art's  scarlet,  and  when  he  smiled,  though  his  teeth 
were  white,  there  was  no  effect  of  flashing  them  at  one  and 
his  lips  took  on  such  genial  curves  and  the  eyes  above  them 
were  so  full  of  frank  good  humor  that  one  must  needs  smile 
with  him. 

Not  so  Mr.  La  Force's  eyes.  I  met  him  many  times  after  that 
first  day  (though  it  was  never  possible  that  I  could  be  on  in 
timate  terms  with  him)  yet  I  never  discovered  anything  ap- 


AN  AMAZING  MEETING  99 

preaching  a  smile  in  his  eyes,  and  they  had  a  peculiarity  which 
up  to  that  time  I  had  never  seen:  the  color  light  blue,  with 
very  black  lashes,  full  and  short,  on  the  lower  lid,  giving  them 
a  most  sinister  effect;  especially  as  a  line  of  white  usually 
showed  below  the  iris  and  just  above  that  pronounced  black 
line  of  the  lower  lid.  Poets  and  artists  to  the  contrary,  I 
have  never  found  a  thickly-lashed  lower  lid  beautiful,  unless, 
like  Mademoiselle  Desloge's,  the  lashes  were  curling  and  golden 
brown  in  color. 

Yet  I  do  not  know  why  I  should  dwell  so  long  on  Mr.  La 
Force's  eyes  unless  it  is  to  explain  my  instinctive  distrust  of 
the  man.  No  one  else,  that  I  could  see,  had  any  such  feeling 
toward  him,  unless  Mr.  Hamilton's  suspicious  glances  when  he 
first  heard  Mr.  La  Force's  proposal  to  me  indicated  distrust. 

Bourbon  Prince  had  recovered  from  his  voyage  sufficiently 
to  allow  of  Lloyd's  riding  him  and  a  wagon  had  been  engaged 
to  meet  us  at  Paulus  Hook  to  convey  Caesar,  Chloe  and  the 
luggage  as  far  as  Trenton,  since,  on  account  of  the  fever  in 
New  York,  the  Philadelphia  stages  ran  only  so  far.  The  City 
Tavern  livery  furnished  me  a  very  good  horse,  and  because 
Lloyd  wanted  to  spare  Bourbon  Prince  the  heat  of  the 
day,  and  because  he  was  eager,  also,  to  press  on  as  far  as  pos 
sible  toward  home,  the  early  dawn  saw  our  little  cavalcade 
boarding  the  ferry  boat,  a  huge  flat  barge  with  a  platform  at 
one  end  for  the  horses,  and  manned  by  three  stalwart  negroes 
with  long  sweep  oars. 

The  air  was  fresh  and  cool  and  drenched  with  dew,  with 
i  much  more  of  the  feeling  of  an  English  summer  morning  than 
yesterday's  had  been,  and  as  our  little  party  was  safely  stowed 
away  on  the  boat,  and  the  long  oars  began  to  sweep  the  water, 
and  we  slowly  glided  from  the  shore,  I  had  leisure  to  enjoy 
the  wonderful  beauty  of  the  scene.  We  were  crossing  the 
river  just  above  the  point  where  it  broadens  into  the  beautiful, 
|  island-dotted  bay,  landlocked,  apparently,  by  the  smiling 
green  shores  of  Jersey,  Staten  Island  and  Long  Island.  The 
white  walls  and  dark  roofs  of  Eichmond  Hill  House  on  the 
bluffs  above  the  river  were  clearly  outlined  against  the  rapidly 


100  MTSS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

brightening  dawn  as  our  boat  drew  out  into  the  river,  and  just 
above  it  the  morning  star  swam  golden  in  a  violet  sky.  The 
lawns  and  shrubberies  sloped  down  to  the  water's  edge  and  it 
looked  very  lovely  in  the  early  morning  light.  Just  as  it 
looked  then  I  was  to  see  it  again  on  another  summer  morning, 
looking  like  the  peaceful  abode  of  all  that  was  good  but  seem 
ing  to  me  like  the  dreadful  haunt  of  all  that  was  evil;  and  it 
is  an  indelible  picture  in  my  memory. 

When  Chloe  and  Caesar  and  the  boxes  were  stowed  away  in 
the  wagon  waiting  for  us,  Lloyd  bade  the  driver  make  as  good 
time  as  he  could  for  Trenton,  where  he  would  meet  them  at 
the  old  King  George  Tavern.  Our  horses  feeling  fresh,  we 
set  off  at  a  gallop  for  the  village  of  Newark,  through  which  we 
thundered  at  such  a  pace  that  foot  passengers  stopped  to  stare 
at  us  and  heads  were  thrust  from  shop  doors  and  house  win 
dows  to  see  what  was  happening  in  the  quiet  streets.  We  had 
been  delayed  in  getting  Chloe  and  Caesar  started  and  by  the 
time  we  reached  the  village  of  Elizabeth,  a  few  miles  farther 
on,  the  sun  was  well  up  and  no  less  hot  than  it  had  been  the 
day  before,  and  I,  for  one,  was  quite  ready  for  a  second  break 
fast  and  quite  sure  our  horses  would  do  all  the  better  for  a 
few  oats,  a  pail  of  water  and  a  little  rest.  But  Lloyd  said 
nothing  about  stopping  until  we  had  left  behind  us  the  vil 
lage  street,  with  its  overhanging  elms  and  its  white  houses 
comfortably  set  on  cool  shady  lawns,  and  I  wondered  why.  If 
he  did  not  suggest  breakfast  soon  I  should,  for  I  was  not  made 
of  such  stern  stuff  as  needed  no  refreshment  for  the  inner 
man,  and  the  lagging  step  of  my  horse  assured  me  that  neither 
was  he. 

But  Lloyd  knew  what  he  was  about.  On  the  outskirts  of 
this  pretty  little  village  of  Elizabeth  he  drew  rein  under  a 
wide  elm  that  sentineled  the  entrance  to  a  small  park  with 
some  magnificent  trees  scattered  over  a  smooth  shaven  lawn, 
and  a  short  avenue  densely  shaded  by  drooping  hemlocks  and 
chestnuts  leading  up  to  a  house  of  noble  proportions. 

"  Sir  Lionel/'  he  said,  as,  with  the  deliberation  that  char 
acterized  all  his  movements,  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  little 


AN  AMAZING  MEETING  101 

note,  "Mr.  Hamilton  handed  me  yesterday  an  invitation  from 
the  Countess  Niemcewiscz  to  stop,  on  our  way  home,  at  Liberty 
Hall  for  rest  and  breakfast,  or  dinner,  as  the  case  might  be. 
This  is  Liberty  Hall  and  here  is  our  breakfast  awaiting  us,  I 
have  no  doubt." 

"  Did  the  invitation  include  me  ?  "  I  asked  with  sharp  sus 
picion. 

"  No,  unfortunately,  for  it  was  written  and  sent  to  Mr.  Ham 
ilton  a  week  ago,  to  be  delivered  to  me  whenever  I  might 
happen  to  arrive,  and  none  of  my  friends,  then,  so  much  as 
knew  of  your  existence;  but  there  will  be  no  question  of  the 
welcome  awaiting  you." 

"  It  seems  to  be  the  custom  of  the  country,"  I  said,  trying 
to  speak  coolly,  but  feeling  a  wave  of  anger  surge  within  me 
at  the  thought  that  my  friend  had  tried  to  entrap  me  into  this 
breakfast  party,  since  he  had  not,  all  this  time,  so  much  as 
mentioned  Liberty  Hall,  to  say  nothing  of  the  invitation.  "  It 
seems  to  be  a  custom  of  the  country  to  go  as  uninvited  guest 
wherever  a  friend  may  happen  to  take  you;  but  I  am  not  yet 
sufficiently  Americanized.  I  thank  you  for  your  share  in  the 
invitation.  You  will  breakfast  with  your  friends,  of  course, 
and  I  and  my  nag  will  go  back  to  Elizabeth  and  find  an  inn  that 
will  give  us  a  morsel  to  eat." 

I  probably  was  not  successful  in  entirely  disguising  my 
irritation,  for  he  seemed  much  troubled  at  my  proposal  to  re 
turn  to  Elizabeth  and  proceeded  to  argue  the  matter  at  length 
with  me.  I  was  not  to  be  moved  from  my  decision  and  we 
might  have  still  been  standing  in  the  cool  green  shadow  of 
that  great  elm,  discussing  the  pros  and  cons,  had  not  a  most 
amazing  thing  happened. 

The  entrance  to  the  park  was  closed  by  great  iron  gates 
heavily  spiked  on  top,  and  but  a  few  feet  beyond  the  gates 
the  short  avenue  of  trees  leading  up  to  the  house  curved  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  conceal  the  driveway.  At  this  moment 
our  heated  discussion  was  arrested  by  the  sound  of  thunder 
ing  hoofs,  and  around  the  curve  flashed  a  horse  and  rider,  the 
horse  a  superb  creature,  but  too  evidently  running  away, 


102  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

and  the  rider  apparently  a  young  girl.  A  moment  more  and 
horse  and  rider  would  be  hurled  against  those  great  iron  gates 
and  both,  probably,  to  their  death. 

I  had  often  bemoaned  my  slight  and  boyish  figure,  but 'my 
muscles  were  of  steel  and  perhaps  it  was  due  to  my  size  that  I 
was  off  my  horse  and  at  the  gates  and  with  a  tremendous  tug 
had  thrown  them  wide  before  my  companion  was  well  dis 
mounted.  From  the  great  size  of  the  horse  I  thought  he  must 
own  Norman  blood,  but  from  his  flaming  eyes,  and  quivering 
nostrils  and  flashing  hoofs  I  was  sure  there  was  a  goodly  strain 
of  Arabian  with  the  Norman.  As  he  thundered  down  upon  me, 
I  sprang  to  one  side  and,  as  he  flashed  by  me,  caught  his 
bridle  at  the  throat.  The  brute  threw  up  his  head  and  snorted 
aloud  with  rage,  flinging  me  from  side  to  side  much  as  he 
might  have  flung  a  dangling  terrier,  and  hardly  checking  his 
onward  rush  for  my  swaying  weight.  But  I  held  on,  hoping 
to  tire  him,  or  hoping  that  Lloyd  would  come  to  my  help,  or 
hoping  that  he  would  heed  his  mistress'  voice  speaking  sooth 
ing  words  in  tones  that  tingled  to  my  finger  tips  and  strength 
ened  my  clutch  on  the  bridle  till  I  believe  only  death  itself 
could  have  loosened  it. 

It  seemed  to  me  a  long  time  that  I  was  swaying  from  side 
to  side  with  my  agonized  clutch  on  the  great  brute's  bridle, 
his  hot  breath  scorching  my  face,  fearing  that  after  all  I  might 
not  be  able  to  save  its  rider  from  death,  but  no  doubt  it  was 
less  than  a  minute  until  Bourbon  Prince  thundered  ahead  of 
us  and  Lloyd  sprang  off  and  threw  his  great  weight  on  the 
horse's  neck,  and  together,  but  not,  I  believe,  without  the  help 
of  those  firm  and  commanding  tones  that  thrilled  me,  we 
brought  the  brute  to  a  standstill,  dripping  from  every  pore, 
every  muscle  quivering,  every  limb  trembling,  his  eye  still 
rolling  wildly  but  recognizing,  as  a  beast  always  does,  that  he 
is  conquered  and  must  submit. 

Not  until  the  brute  was  thoroughly  subdued  did  I  lift  my 
eyes,  knowing  well  what  they  would  meet  but  hardly  daring 
to  believe  it;  for  had  I  not  left  the  owner  of  that  voice  at  Mr. 
Hamilton's  place  far  up  in  the  northern  end  of  Manhattan 


AN  AMAZING  MEETING  103 

Island  only  late  the  night  before?  Combs  and  pins  had  flown 
to  the  wind  in  that  breathless  ride  and  around  her  shoulders 
fell  a  tawny  mane  of  tangled  curls  that  shone  like  burnished 
copper.  It  was  a  sight  to  dazzle  any  man's  eyes  and  it  must 
have  dazzled  mine  for,  as  I  looked  up  into  hers,  their  brown 
depths  seemed  to  me  for  a  moment  to  glow  with  a  stronger 
feeling  than  gratitude  as  they  looked  down  into  mine, 


I  MAKE  A  FAITHFUL  FRIEND 

IT  was  only  for  a  moment  that  I  met  that  glowing  glance. 
The  next  she  turned  to  Lloyd  and,  with  a  hand  out 
stretched  to  both,  she  said  lightly  with  no  trace  of  the  emo 
tion  in  her  voice  that  I  had  seen  in  her  eyes,  "  I  thank  you, 
gentlemen.  You  have  probably  saved  a  life,  which  is  always 
a  good  thing  to  do,  no  matter  of  how  little  worth  the  saving 
of  it  may  seem." 

She  gave  us  no  chance  to  protest  her  speech,  but,  putting  a 
hand  on  Lloyd's  shoulder,  with  a  bright  blush  for  her  boldness 
in  so  doing,  sprang  lightly  to  the  ground. 

Then  she  said,  "  I  have  won  my  wager,  but  I  hope  no  one 
will  be  so  reckless  as  to  ride  the  beast  home  again.  I  am  con 
vinced  he  is  dangerous." 

"  What  was  the  wager,  Mademoiselle  ?  "  I  asked,  but  before 
she  could  reply  two  men  and  a  boy  came  running  down  the 
driveway  and  behind  them  three  women,  uttering  loud  cries  as 
they  ran.  The  one  in  the  lead  was  Miss  Livingston,  who,  see 
ing  Mademoiselle  Desloge  alive  and  well,  threw  herself  into 
her  arms  and  burst  into  tears  with  what  seemed  to  me  an  un 
usual  show  of  devotion  toward  a  hired  companion  who  was  al 
most  a  stranger.  I  was  sure  her  emotion  bespoke  a  good  heart 
in  Miss  Livingston. 

"  I  hope  Aunt  Kitty  will  send  the  beast  straight  back  to 
Monticello,"  she  ejaculated,  as  soon  as  she  could  control  her 
speech.  "What  is  Mr.  Jefferson  thinking  of  to  send  William 
such  a  vicious  brute ! " 

But  a  young  lad  not  yet  out  of  his  teens  spoke  up  with  spirit : 

"  The  horse  is  mine,  Cousin  Jane,  and  I  will  not  have  him 

104 


I  MAKE  A  FAITHFUL  FRIEND  105 

sent  back.  I  am  very  sure  he  is  not  vicious,  he  only  needs  a 
man  to  ride  him." 

At  that  the  two  older  men  laughed,  and  one  of  them  said 
with  an  air  of  gallantry,  although  I  am  sure  he  only  spoke  the 
plain  truth  — 

"No  man  could  have  ridden  him  better  than  Miss  Desloge. 
I  am  not  sure  that  any  one  of  us  would  have  come  off  half  so 
well.  That  was  a  nasty  wager  you  made,  William,  and  you 
owe  Miss  Desloge  an  apology." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss  Desloge ;  I  did  not  believe  you 
would  take  me  up  or  I  would  never  have  made  it.  No  woman, 
no  matter  how  accomplished  she  is,  ought  to  ride  such  a  pow 
erful  beast,  and,  as  Mr.  Jefferson  says,  only  half  broken." 

He  had  a  manly  air  in  making  his  apology  that  quite  won 
my  liking  and  I  have  no  doubt  won  Miss  Desloge's.  She 
smiled  on  him  adorably. 

"You  are  quite  right,  Mr.  Jay"  (the  boy  blushed  crimson; 
I  am  sure  he  had  never  been  called  anything  but  Master  William 
before).  "  No  woman  of  sense  would  do  such  a  dare-devil  thing, 
I  am  afraid  I  was  vain  of  my  horsemanship,  and  it  serves  me 
right  to  be  mortified  before  you  all." 

Then  everyone  exclaimed  at  once  that  her  horsemanship 
was  wonderful  and  that  she  had  no  reason  for  mortification. 

"  I  'm  sure  you  ought  to  be  both  proud  and  grateful,"  said 
Miss  Livingston.  "  I  never  saw  anything  half  so  magnificent 
as  you  were  flying  down  the  avenue  on  that  great  beast's  back. 
And  to  think  that  you  are  still  alive !  " 

All  this  time  Lloyd  had  been  standing  with  his  arm  over 
the  horse's  neck  and  I  still  clutching  the  bridle.  Miss  Liv 
ingston's  first  agitation  subsiding,  she  had  time  to  think  of  us 
and  presented  us  to  the  company  with  many  eulogiums  for 
what  she  was  pleased  to  call  our  "  bravery,"  which  she  took 
for  granted,  since  she  had  not  been  a  witness  of  it.  The  boy 
proved  to  be  a  son  of  Mr.  John  Jay,  the  great  judge  and  diplo 
mat,  and  grandson  of  the  Mr.  Livingston  of  Liberty  Hall  who 
had  been  the  "  war  governor "  of  Jersey.  The  ladies  were, 
one  of  them,  that  "  Aunt  Kitty,"  of  whom  I  had  heard  Miss 


106  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Livingston  speak4  a  daughter  of  Governor  Livingston  and  mar 
ried  to  her  cousin,  a  Livingston  of  Livingston  Manor;  the 
other  was  our  hostess,  the  charming  Countess  Niemcewiscz,  a 
Livingston  also,  but  of  another  branch  of  the  family,  who  had 
bought  Liberty  Hall  after  the  death  of  her  uncle,  the  Governor. 
The  two  gentlemen  were  the  husbands  of  the  two  ladies,  both  of 
them  men  of  elegance  and  fashion,  as  could  be  seen  at  a  glance, 
but  the  young  Polish  count,  friend  of  Kosciusko,  one  of  the 
most  delightful  men  I  have  ever  met. 

There  was  no  escaping  the  friendly  importunities  of  the 
ladies,  when  they  found  that  I  was  Lloyd's  friend  and  the 
"  savior  of  Miss  Desloge,"  as  they  put  it  grandiloquently. 
When  the  party  started  for  the  house,  two  men,  one  on  each 
side,  leading  the  big  horse  Saladin,  as  they  called  him,  and 
Lloyd  leading  Bourbon  Prince,  I  turned  to  look  for  my  nag. 
The  rascal  had  taken  to  his  heels  and  a  whole  troop  of  blacks, 
big  and  little,  having  flocked  down  the  avenue  at  the  sound 
of  the  commotion,  the  countess  sent  two  of  them  in  search  of 
the  recreant.  She  called  me  to  her  and  kept  me  by  her  side 
most  of  the  way  up  to  the  house,  asking  me  of  home  and  family 
in  such  a  charming  and  friendly  fashion  that  it  could  not  but 
dissipate  some  of  the  regret  I  felt  at  not  being  one  of  the 
little  group  behind  me;  of  which  I  could  easily  tell  Miss  Des 
loge  was  the  center  of  interest,  since  I  could  hear  her  voice 
and  laugh  in  merry  response  to  every  speech  uttered  by  the 
others. 

If  I  were  to  be  deprived  of  Miss  Desloge's  society  on  this 
walk  I  would  take  some  slight  recompense  by  discovering  how 
she  and  Miss  Livingston  had  made  their  miraculous  appear 
ance  at  Liberty  Hall  ahead  of  us. 

"  Oh,  they  came  down  in  the  Clermont  sloop  early  this 
morning,"  said  the  countess  in  response  to  what  I  considered 
my  skillfully  directed  inquiries.  "  They  took  the  cool  of  the 
day  and  were  here  by  a  little  after  seven.  It's  much  shorter 
by  sloop  than  by  horse.  You  had  to  ride  all  round  the  Newark 
Bay  and  marshes;  they  came  straight  down  the  river  and  down 
the  bay  and  through  the  Kill  van  Kull.  They  surprised  us  al- 


I  MAKE  A  FAITHFUL  FEIEND  107 

most  before  we  were  up.  They  were  hungry  as  bears,  they 
said,  but  they  announced  that  you  were  on  the  way  and  would 
surely  be  here  by  nine,  and  they  refused  to  sit  down  to  break 
fast  until  you  should  arrive.  They  timed  you  to  a  nicety.  It 
is  only  a  few  minutes  past  nine  and  breakfast  is  ready  and 
waiting." 

"  Did  they  come  by  —  by  invitation  ?  "  I  asked  awkwardly, 
knowing  I  had  no  right  to  put  a  question  like  that  to  a  perfect 
stranger. 

"  Oh,  no,  we  do  not  wait  for  invitations  among  friends,"  she 
answered.  "  I  should  not  at  all  wonder  if  they  had  come  en 
tirely  for  the  sake  of  giving  you  a  surprise,  since  they  knew 
you  would  stop  here,  and  Jane  dearly  loves  a  jest." 

"  Then  Mademoiselle  had  wanted  to  see  us  again,"  I  thought, 
though  I  knew  I  had  no  right  to  flatter  myself,  since  of  course 
she  was  at  the  mercy  of  her  mistress'  whims. 

"  In  that  case  I  do  not  feel  so  unhappy  at  being  an  un 
invited  guest,  myself,  since  it  is  the  custom  and  since  I  am 
not  the  only  one/'  I  uttered  aloud. 

"  Oh,  surely  not,"  said  the  countess  quickly.  "  You  know 
that  your  friend  is  more  than  welcome  anywhere,  as  the  son 
of  his  father,  and  your  friend's  friend  is  welcome  for  his  sake, 
even  if  we  were  not  immensely  fond  of  our  English  kin  and 
sometime  foemen,  for  their  own  sake.  Then  you  must  know, 
Sir  Lionel,  what  they  say  of  us  here  in  America,  that  a  title 
goes  a  long  way  with  us." 

Now  I  did  not  like  that  last  speech  of  hers  at  all  and  I  began 
to  stiffen  inwardly  in  a  way  we  Englishmen  are  accused  of  doing 
at  the  least  provocation,  when  I  happened  to  glance  up  into 
her  eyes.  She  was  smiling  a  little  and  her  eyes  were  twinkling 
roguishly  and  altogether  she  had  such  a  charming  air  of  gentle 
audacity  that  perforce  I  found  myself  smiling  back  and  say 
ing: 

"  Oh,  yes,  no  doubt,  if  it  were  an  earl  or  a  marquis  or  a 
duke,  but  —  only  a  baronet  ?  " 

"  A  baronet  with  the  blood  of  the  old  Thanes  in  his  veins 
is  worth  more  than  a  duke  in  the  estimation  of  some  people. 


108  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

And  the  owner  of  one  of  the  great  show-places  in  England 
has  distinction  enough  even  if  he  were  only  a  country  squire." 

I  was  embarrassed  for  a  reply  but  there  did  not  seem  to 
be  need  of  any.  As  she  finished  speaking  she  turned  to  Miss 
Desloge,  who  was  now  only  a  few  feet  behind  us. 

"  Miss  Desloge,  you  have  been  in  England.  Have  you  ever 
seen  Clover  Combe  Court  ?  " 

Naturally  I  turned  toward  her  to  hear  her  answer  and  caught 
a  startled  glance  that  looked  almost  like  fright.  But  she  re 
covered  instantly,  and  without  any  apparent  hesitation,  she 
answered : 

"  I  believe  I  have  seen  it  —  once." 

"  Don't  you  think  it  the  most  beautiful  place  in  all 
England  ?" 

"  It  was  so  long  ago  I  can  hardly  remember,"  she  answered 
carelessly.  "  I  believe  it  has  that  reputation." 

Now  I  had  not  much  liked  the  countess'  speech  about  it 
being  one  of  the  great  show-places  of  England.  I  had  some 
times  regretted  that  it  was  a  show-place  at  all;  nevertheless,  I 
was  proud  of  it,  I  suppose,  and  Miss  Desloge's  indifference 
nettled  me. 

"I  have  no  doubt  that  the  great  show-places  of  France  are 
much  finer  than  anything  we  have  in  England,"  I  said  quickly. 

"  I  don't  know  England  very  well ;  I  have  not  been  there 
since  I  was  a  child,"  she  answered  quietly,  "  but  certainly  we 
have  some  very  beautiful  places  in  France." 

I  thought  I  saw  a  chance  to  drop  back  by  Miss  Desloge,  for 
I  had  heard  the  countess  speaking  to  Lloyd  and  saw  him 
leading  Bourbon  Prince  nearer  her. 

"You  never  told  me  you  had  been  in  England,  Miss 
Desloge,"  I  said  reproachfully.  "  You  must  have  been  there  a 
long  time  to  learn  to  speak  English  so  perfectly  as  you  do." 

"  Oh,  I  had  an  English  governess  when  I  was  a  child,"  she 
answered  with  a  slight  blush. 

If  Mademoiselle  had  an  English  governess,  I  argued  men 
tally,  that  in  itself  bespeaks  the  social  station  I  was  sure  she 
was  born  to.  Somehow  my  spirits  brightened  at  the  thought 


I  MAKE  A  FAITHFUL  FRIEND  109 

and  we  fell  into  an  easy  strain  of  banter,  such  as  I  might  have 
indulged  in  with  Miss  Livingston,  and  that  was  very  dif 
ferent  from  the  interchange  of  a  few  set  phrases  that,  since 
our  arrival  in  America,  had  been  the  extent  of  our  communi 
cations. 

Now  I  knew  very  well  why  my  spirits  had  lightened.  After 
our  return  from  the  Grange  the  night  before,  I  had  sat  up 
late  writing  a  letter  to  my  father  to  be  sent  back  by  Captain 
Skinner  on  his  return  voyage.  In  it  I  had  mentioned  that  Mr. 
Livingston  was  ill  with  a  fever  prevalent  in  the  city,  of  which 
I  made  light,  but  I  had  said  nothing  of  my  intention  to  de 
vote  myself  to  the  nursing  of  the  fever  patients,  and  I  had 
said  nothing  of  my  acquaintance  with  Miss  Desloge.  There 
is  no  use  in  worrying  my  father  at  this  distance,  I  said  to 
myself,  and  I  knew  well  he  would  worry  greatly  if  he  thought 
me  exposed  to  the  fever,  and  perhaps  even  more  if  he  thought 
me  exposed  once  more  to  the  danger  of  falling  in  love  with  a 
beautiful  young  woman  beneath  me  in  station.  Moreover,  I 
was  fully  determined,  for  my  father's  sake,  that  I  would  not 
fall  in  love  with  her.  I  remembered  well  what  he  had  said  — 
"  Your  ancestors  have  always  married  women  of  equal  or  nobler 
birth,  and  women  of  every  grace  of  character  and  of  all  the 
virtues." 

I  had  said  to  him  only  one  word  of  Peggy  in  my  letter,  but 
in  saying  it  I  had  bound  myself  by  a  promise  that  I  knew  I 
must  always  hold  sacred.  "  The  captain  delivered  to  me  the 
two  letters  entrusted  to  him  by  you,"  I  wrote.  "  It  was  a 
bitter  draught  but  it  did  its  work.  It  cleansed  me  of  my 
folly,  and  now  I  never  want  to  hear  her  name  again;  and  I 
promise  you  the  next  time  I  fall  in  love  it  shall  be  with  some 
one  you  can  approve,  and  I  will  make  no  proposals  of  marriage 
to  anyone  until  you  shall  give  me  leave." 

Now  I  had  not  the  slightest  intention  of  falling  in  love  with 
Miss  Desloge,  but  nevertheless  the  fact  that  I  thought  I  had 
discovered  that  she  was  of  gentle  blood,  as  good  as  my  own, 
perhaps,  gave  me  a  sensible  lightening  of  the  heart,  and  a  free 
dom  in  my  speech  that  I  had  not  felt  before. 


110  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"Will  you  tell  me,  Miss  Desloge,"  I  asked  her,  when  I  had 
contrived  to  fall  a  little  back  of  the  others  and  so  have  her  to 
myself,  "how  you  and  Miss  Livingston  happened  to  come  to 
Liberty  Hall  this  morning  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  why  you  should  ask  or  I  should  answer  a 
question  of  that  kind,  Sir  Lionel,"  she  replied  severely.  "  Miss 
Livingston  doubtless  feels  at  liberty  to  visit  her  friends  and 
kinsmen  whenever  the  inclination  takes  her." 

"  I  stand  rebuked  and  I  beg  your  pardon.  I  see  that  you 
esteem  me  a  meddlesome  Paul  Pry." 

Then  she  relented. 

"  Oh,"  with  a  twinkling  smile,  "  not  quite  that,  and  I  do  not 
mind  telling  you,  nor  do  I  believe  Miss  Livingston  would  mind, 
that  last  night,  after  you  had  left  the  Grange,  she  proposed 
that  we  take  an  early  ride  on  her  sloop  and  surprise  you  at 
Liberty  Hall,  where  she  knew  you  were  to  stop  for  breakfast. 
I  think  she  thought  it  would  be  a  good  jest  and  she  counted 
on  enjoying  your  startled  looks  when  you  should  first  meet  us, 
and  then,  I  spoiled  it  all  by  my  foolhardy  venture  on  Saladin. 
I  am  afraid  she  was  greatly  disappointed,  for  I  think  Miss 
Livingston  planned  it  for  the  sole  purpose  of  enjoying  the 
surprise  of  the  young  gentleman  from  England  and  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  him  once  more." 

"  And  Miss  Desloge  ? "  I  asked,  caring  little  for  Miss  Liv 
ingston's  motives  in  the  matter,  but  much  for  hers.  "Was 
it  the  young  gentleman  from  England  or  from  America  for 
whom  she  braved  such  an  early  morning  ride  ?  " 

"Neither,  my  Lord  Duke,"  she  replied  with  a  mocking  half 
curtsy.  I  was  startled  for  the  moment.  How  could  she  know 
that  I  was  my  uncle's  heir  ? 

She  laughed. 

"  Forgive  me,  Sir  Lionel,  if  I  was  impertinent,  but  you  said 
that  with  such  a  grand  air,  it  was  worthy  of  a  duke,  at  least." 
Then  she  added  soberly:  "But  you  must  know  it  is  not  for 
me  to  plan  or  to  express  pleasure  at  or  disapprobation  of  Miss 
Livingston's  whims.  I  am  simply  here  to  follow  her  lead,  and 


I  MAKE  A  FAITHFUL  FRIEND  111 

if  she  does  not  lead  me  into  either  danger  or  folly  I  ought  to 
be  grateful." 

Her  tone  stirred  me  to  the  quick.  I  could  see  that  she  was 
not  used  to  service  and  that  the  yoke  galled  her.  I  felt  my 
self  moved  by  a  dull  anger.  Miss  Livingston  was  all  very  well, 
but  who  was  she  to  have  at  the  mercy  of  her  caprices  such  a 
magnificent  creature  as  Miss  Desloge !  "  Worthy  to  grace  a 
ducal  coronet,"  I  said  to  myself,  and  blushed  at  the  thought. 

As  if  Miss  Livingston  had  penetrated  my  feeling  and  wished 
to  irritate  me  still  more,  at  this  moment  she  called  imperiously : 

"  Come  hither,  Mademoiselle  Desloge !  " 

And  when  Mademoiselle  obeyed  her  summons  meekly,  she 
whispered  in  her  ear  and  sent  her  off  to  the  house  on  some 
trivial  errand  as  she  would  have  sent  any  menial. 

It  was  no  longer  a  dull  anger  that  stirred  me.  My  blood 
boiled.  And  it  appeased  me  not  at  all  that  Miss  Livingston 
summoned  me  to  her  side  and  used  all  her  arts  in  trying  to 
soothe  and  amuse  me.  Perhaps  if  I  had  not  been  so  angry 
I  might  have  been  flattered,  for  it  certainly  looked  as  if  Miss 
Livingston  had  sent  Miss  Desloge  to  the  house  to  secure  me  for 
herself.  I  have  no  doubt  my  brow  was  "  a  black  thundercloud  " 
and  my  eyes  "  smoldering  flame,"  for  that  is  how  the  Ameri 
can  has  described  me  to  myself  when  I  am  angry  and  trying  to 
repress  the  ebullition  of  my  anger. 

Fortunately  for  my  reputation,  perhaps,  we  had  now  reached 
the  house,  a  noble  mansion  as  houses  go  in  America,  with  a 
broad  shady  porch  over  the  entrance.  Our  hostess  sent  Lloyd 
and  me  up-stairs  to  our  rooms  in  charge  of  a  black  body- 
servant. 

"  I  give  you  ten  minutes,  sirs,  to  make  a  breakfast  toilet, 
and  not  one  minute  longer,"  she  said  with  pretty  imperiousness. 
"  If  you  are  not  down  by  that  time  we  shall  begin  without  you, 
for  breakfast  has  been  waiting  so  long  I  am  sure  it  is  utterly 
spoiled  and  our  two  young  ladies  are  famishing." 

I  noticed  then,  and  I  have  often  noticed  since  in  America, 
that  the  ladies  have  a  little  air  in  talking  to  men  not  quite 


112  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

like  ours  at  home.  It  is  as  if  they  were  queens  giving  orders 
to  their  vassals,  but  they  do  it  so  prettily  and  so  sweetly  that 
the  men  rush  to  obey  them,  and  I  believe  I  rather  liked  it. 

At  any  rate  I  liked  it  in  the  countess  and  I  hastened  to 
obey  her  with  a  cleared  brow.  "Whether  by  accident  or  inten 
tion  I  found  myself  seated  by  Mademoiselle  Desloge  at  break 
fast  and  opposite  me  was  the  young  owner  of  Saladin.  The 
massive  round  table  would  have  seated  a  dozen  as  easily  as  it 
seated  the  nine  who  sat  around  it.  All  the  windows  were  open 
to  catch  every  breath  of  the  light  summer  breeze  stirring  the 
branches  of  the  lindens  and  maples  that  shaded  them.  The 
table  was  loaded  with  delicacies,  many  of  them  of  a  nature 
I  had  never  seen  before,  and,  to  a  man  who  had  been  as 
ravenously  hungry  as  I  had  thought  myself  so  short  a  while 
before,  it  ought  to  have  been  a  pleasant  hour  indeed  that  we 
lingered  around  that  generous  board,  bright  with  snowy  damask 
and  shining  silver  and  a  great  bowl  of  garden  flowers  making  a 
spot  of  glowing  color  in  the  center  of  the  table.  Perhaps  it 
was,  and  yet  something  had  gone  to  my  head  in  such  fashion 
that  it  was  all  an  indistinct  blur  of  foolish  words  and  light 
laughter;  of  women  looking  cool  and  dainty  in  pretty  muslin 
frocks;  of  big  handsome  men,  beside  whom  I  felt  sure  I  looked 
small  and  dark  and  insignificant;  of  deft  service  by  black  boys, 
wearing  white  liveries  and  white  muslin  turbans,  and  bearing 
relays  of  smoking  viands  from  a  distant  kitchen;  of  the  fra 
grance  in  my  nostrils  and  the  flavor  on  my  palate  of  such 
coffee  as  I  had  never  tasted  in  old  England;  of  scarcely  know 
ing  what  I  ate  or  drank  at  all,  or  what  I  said,  or  how  I  said 
it,  until  I  was  suddenly  brought  to  a  consciousness  of  time  and 
place  by  a  queer  look  on  the  face  of  young  Master  Jay  sitting 
opposite  me.  He  was  white  with  anger,  or  some  other  emotion, 
and  as  I  looked  up  and  caught  his  eye,  he  bent  forward  and 
said  in  a  low  tone  of  restrained  fury: 

"  A  word  with  you  after  breakfast,  if  you  please,  Sir  Lionel." 
I  stared  at  him  a  moment  before  I  comprehended  his  mean 
ing  and  then  I  bowed  and  turned  again  to  Mademoiselle.     I 
think  she  had  heard  the  words,  but  did  not  understand  them, 


I  MAKE  A  FAITHFUL  FRIEND  113 

and  no  one  else  seemed  to  hear.  Was  the  boy  mad?  I  won 
dered.  A  lad  hardly  half  way  through  his  teens  and  jealous  — 
for  that  is  what  it  looked  like  —  and  of  a  young  woman  he  had 
never  laid  eyes  on  scarce  two  hours  before?  Had  my  eyes  and 
voice  betrayed  me  in  talking  to  Mademoiselle?  Then  I  must 
be  more  circumspect,  for  what  the  lad  had  noticed  and  resented, 
others  might  observe  also. 

One  of  the  white-turbaned  boys  brought  in  a  message  to  the 
countess  at  this  moment,  which  he  whispered  in  her  ear. 

"  How  provoking !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Tell  Julius  Caesar  and 
George  Washington  to  saddle  a  couple  of  fast  horses  immedi 
ately  and  scour  the  country  in  every  direction/' 

She  turned  to  me  and  explained  that  the  two  negroes  had 
been  able  to  find  no  trace  of  my  lost  horse  but  she  had  sent 
them  off  again  better  equipped  to  overtake  and  capture  the  run 
away.  In  the  meantime  I  would  be  forced  to  a  longer  stay 
than  I  had  at  first  intended,  which  she  courteously  hoped  would 
give  me  as  much  pleasure  as  it  gave  her. 

It  did  give  me  much  pleasure  for  a  moment  —  the  thought 
that  I  might  linger  at  Mademoiselle's  side  —  but  only  for  a 
moment.  The  remembrance  of  my  engagement  with  Mr.  La 
Force  returned  and  I  knew  that  I  must  rather  cut  my  stay  short 
than  prolong  it,  since  I  must  foot  it  in  to  the  little  village 
of  Elizabeth  and  there  hunt  up  a  horse  to  carry  me  back  to 
the  city  —  all  of  which  would  cause  delay  and  endanger  my 
losing  the  twelve  o'clock  ferry. 

When  I  explained  this  to  the  countess  she  would  not  listen 
to  my  hunting  up  a  horse  at  Elizabeth.  I  should  have  one 
from  her  own  stables,  of  course,  to  be  sent  back  by  the  messenger 
who  should  bring  my  truant  nag  to  the  City  Tavern.  She  was 
so  insistent  in  her  hospitable  offer  that  there  was  nothing  to  do 
but  yield  with  a  good  grace;  and  there  flashed  into  my  mind 
a  method  by  which  I  might  render  a  service  in  accepting  her 
courtesy. 

I  had  entirely  forgotten,  for  the  moment,  Master  William's 
black  looks  or  I  would  not  have  blurted  out  my  proposal  so 
bluntly. 
8 


114  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Countess,"  I  said,  "  at  home  it  has  been  my  pastime  to 
tame  and  train  unruly  colts.  Will  you  lend  me  Saladin?  I 
believe  I  could  send  him  back  to  you  in  a  few  days  with  his 
fine  spirit  unbroken,  but  ready  to  submit  to  the  control  of  the 
gentlest  hand/' 

"  Oh,  would  you  dare  ?  William's  Aunt  Kitty  and  I  would 
be  so  glad ! "  she  began.  "  We  are  not  willing  that  he  should 
ride  Saladin,  neither  do  we  like — " 

"  Aunt  Marian ! "  Master  William  interrupted,  in  a  white 
heat,  in  which  courtesy  to  his  aunts  and  to  a  stranger  were 
alike  forgotten,  "  Saladin  is  mine,  if  you  please,  Madam,  and 
Sir  Lionel  and  I  will  discuss  the  matter  of  my  lending  him 
after  breakfast." 

"  With  pleasure,  Mr.  Jay,"  I  said  somewhat  sternly,  for  the 
boy's  tantrums  were  growing  unbearable,  "  and  perhaps,  Countess, 
you  and  Mrs.  Livingston  will  permit  us  to  retire  and  discuss 
it  now,  since  I  find  I  must  be  thinking  of  my  return  jour- 
ney."  ' 

"  Very  well,"  she  answered,  glancing  curiously  at  William, 
and  no  doubt  wondering  at  his  excitement,  "  but  please  go  out 
to  the  stable  first  and  take  another  look  at  Saladin.  I  do  not 
want  you  to  ride  him  unless  you  are  certain  he  is  safe.  I 
should  not  like  to  be  responsible  to  your  father  for  a  broken 
head  or  even  a  broken  limb,  Sir  Lionel." 

And  thus  it  was  that  I  came  into  possession,  for  the  length 
of  my  stay  in  America,  of  the  most  perfect  horse  I  have  ever 
had  the  good  fortune  to  bestride.  When  I  looked  at  him  again 
and  noted  his  fine  eye,  his  small,  pointed  ears,  his  breadth  of 
girth  and  delicately-tapering  limbs,  and  the  fine  tracery  of 
veins  showing  through  his  burnished  coat,  my  soul  coveted 
him  and  I  determined  upon  the  spot  that  I  would  speak  Master 
William  fair  as  long  as  he  would  let  me,  remembering  always 
that  he  was  but  a  boy  and  must  be  treated  with  the  courtesy 
due  a  boy  from  an  older  man.  And  that  if  I  could  bring  any 
arts  to  bear  to  induce  the  boy  to  lend  me  his  horse,  I  should 
not  hesitate  to  use  them,  since  it  would  be  only  for  a  few  days 
and  I  would  be  rendering  him  a  real  service  in  taming  tho 


115 

brute,  for  in  his  present  condition  he  was  in  no  wise  safe  for 
any  but  the  most  skillful  rider. 

So  seeing  that  the  boy,  now  that  we  were  alone  together, 
was  red  and  confused,  hardly  knowing  how  to  begin  what  he 
was  yet  determined  to  say,  I  spoke  to  him  with  great  apparent 
respect  and  deference. 

"  Mr.  Jay/'  I  said,  "  you  had  something  you  wished  to  say 
to  me  and  it  would  seem  from  your  manner  that  I  have  of 
fended  you.  I  pray  you  to  believe  that  no  offense  has  been 
intended.  Nothing  could  have  been  further  from  my  thought 
and  desire  than  to  give  offense  to  a  young  gentleman  of  Liberty 
Hall,  where  I  have  been  most  courteously  treated." 

I  could  see  him  flush  with  pleasure  at  my  deferential  ad 
dress,  but  he  did  not  think  it  quite  dignified,  I  suppose,  to  be 
too  easily  mollified. 

"  Sir/'  he  said,  "  it  seems  to  me  you  have  treated  with  undue 
lightness  a  young  lady  who  is  under  the  protection  of  my 
aunt's  roof  and  therefore  under  my  protection.  Your  man 
ner  shows  entirely  too  great  a  degree  of  familiarity  to  be  used 
toward  a  strange  young  lady." 

"  Do  you  mean  Mademoiselle  Desloge  ? "  I  asked,  secretly 
amused  at  the  grandiloquence  of  the  boy,  but  also  rather  pleased 
with  his  gallant  protection  of  demoiselles.  "  I  greatly  dep 
recate  anything  which  may  have  seemed  like  undue  familiarity 
in  my  manner  toward  Miss  Desloge.  I  feel  for  her  only  respect 
ful  admiration  and  reverence.  I  think,  sir,  it  must  be  that 
in  an  acquaintance  of  five  weeks  on  shipboard  one  grows  to 
have  the  feeling  of  long  friendship,  and  perhaps  that  is  the 
excuse  for  an  appearance  of  familiarity  that  is  not  intentional." 

"  An  acquaintance  of  five  weeks ! "  exclaimed  the  boy,  greatly 
astonished.  "  I  thought,  sir,  you  had  met  her  this  morning 
for  the  first  time.  I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir  Lionel,  if  I  have 
seemed  unduly  captious." 

"You  do  not  need  to  beg  my  pardon,  Mr.  Jay,"  I  answered 
gravely.  "  I  respect  the  impulse  that  prompted  your  resent 
ment  toward  me.  It  must  ever  be  with  us  men  noblesse  oblige, 
sir,  where  the  ladies  are  concerned." 


116  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

If  I  was  partly  in  jest  in  the  gravity  of  my  utterance,  I 
was  also  partly  in  earnest,  for  I  liked  the  spirit  of  the  lad,  and 
when  I  felt  his  hand  in  mine  I  gave  it  as  hearty  a  grasp  as  if 
it  were  the  hand  of  an  old  friend  of  mine  own  age.  The  lad 
was  won. 

"  Take  Saladin,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  exclaimed  grandly.  "  Do 
with  him  what  you  please  and  keep  him  as  long  as  you  like. 
He  is  yours  till  you  care  to  return  him." 

I  had  no  idea  of  taking  the  generous  youth  at  his  word,  but 
circumstances  developed  later  that  made  Saladin  virtually  mine, 
as  I  said  before,  for  my  stay  in  America. 

Now,  when  two  sturdy  negro  grooms,  trembling,  I  believe,  in 
every  limb,  brought  out  the  magnificent  creature  whose  eye  still 
glowed  with  lambent  flame,  I  spent  a  good  ten  minutes  of  the 
few  I  had  to  spare  in  caressing  the  beautiful  beast,  stroking  his 
white  nose,  and  making  him  look  me  squarely  in  the  eye,  patting, 
his  quivering  flank,  and  above  all,  getting  him  used  to  th£> 
sound  of  my  voice,  every  tone  of  which  I  made  evident  to  him 
wise  ears  was  thoroughly  friendly. 

When  at  last  I  thought  he  was  somewhat  used  to  me  I 
vaulted  into  the  saddle,  but  at  that  the  beast  lost  his  head 
again,  snorting  with  terror,  pitching,  rearing,  plunging,  fling 
ing  the  two  men,  who  clung  desperately  to  his  bit,  from  side  to 
side  with  the  tossing  of  his  powerful  head  and  neck.  I  could 
see  the  eyes  of  the  black  men  rolling  with  terror,  and  William, 
forgetting  for  the  moment  his  dignity,  implored  me  to  get  off 
before  I  should  be  killed. 

But  the  beast  was  not  vicious,  only  beside  himself  with  terror, 
and  as  soon  as  I  felt  that  my  seat  was  assured,  I  called  to  the 
grooms  to  let  him  go.  Like  an  arrow  shot  from  the  bow  he 
sprang  through  the  stable  doors,  tore  down  the  road  to  the 
house,  swept  like  the  wind  around  it  to  the  front,  where  the 
whole  party  came  running  out  on  to  the  porch,  silent,  lest  any 
word  add  to  the  beast's  terror;  then  straight  off  like  a  great 
swift-winged  bird  down  the  driveway,  toward  that  iron-spiked 
gate  at  the  entrance.  I  had  my  hands  full  and  my  mind  also, 
in  my  vain  efforts  to  control  the  beast,  but  I  yet  had  time  to 


"  Fine  !  "  he  shouted  as  we  swept  by  him 


I  MAKE  A  FAITHFUL  FRIEND  117 

note  Mademoiselle  Desloge,  wide-eyed,  pale  as  any  wraith,  and 
the  big  American,  eyes  glowing,  eager,  alert.  I  was  not  sure 
whether  those  great  gates  were  open;  I  had  stupidly  forgotten 
to  see  that  they  were  before  getting  on  Saladin's  back,  but 
I  had  hardly  had  time  to  regret  my  stupidity  when  I  caught 
sight  of  a  road  curving  to  the  left,  and  straining  every  nerve 
and  muscle,  by  pressure  of  knee  and  bridle  and  wrist,  I 
swerved  him  into  the  left-hand  course.  Then  I  gave  him  free 
rein  again  and  we  plunged  madly  on,  only,  now  that  I  saw  that  he 
could  by  mighty  stress  be  guided,  I  no  longer  felt  any  fear  of 
the  result  and  began  to  enjoy  the  wild  ride. 

To  my  dismay  the  road  continued  to  curve  to  the  left  and 
in  a  few  moments  I  was  once  more  flashing  by  the  house  and 
the  excited  group  on  the  porch,  which  had  changed  a  little  — 
the  American  was  no  longer  there  and  young  Jay  had  just  come 
running  up  from  the  stables  and  joined  them.  Once  more 
Saladin  dashed  down  the  avenue  toward  the  gates.  Should  I 
turn  him  again  to  the  left?  It  was  too  spectacular;  it  was 
absurd!  Was  I  to  make  an  endless  round,  down  the  avenue, 
up  the  curving  road,  past  the  house  and  down  again,  till 
Saladin  was  tired  out  and  I  had  become  a  laughing  stock  to 
my  friends?  Rather  run  the  risk  of  being  able  to  stop  him 
should  the  gates  be  shut.  I  let  him  go,  down  the  avenue,  and 
at  that  moment  the  gates  came  in  sight.  They  were  wide  open 
and  beside  them  stood  the  big  American. 

"  Fine !  "  he  shouted  as  we  swept  by  him.  "  You  '11  have 
him,  in  about  fifteen  minutes  !  " 

For  ten  minutes,  straight  away  I  let  him  have  his  head,  and 
the  wind  was  no  swifter  or  freer  than  Saladin  in  his  flight. 
It  was  a  joy  to  be  flying  through  the  air  on  the  back  of  such  a 
magnificent  creature.  All  the  winds  of  Arabia  were  in  his 
ringing  hoofs,  all  the  strength  and  endurance  of  Normandy 
in  his  powerful  muscles,  stretching  rhythmically  beneath  me. 

At  the  end  of  ten  minutes  I  began  to  bear  gently  on  his 
bridle  and  speak  to  him  friendly  words  of  soothing,  and  at  the 
end  of  five  minutes  more  I  found  I  could  turn  him  with  ease 
into  a  cross  road  which  I  believed  must  lead  back  toward  the 


118  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

house,  and  sure  enough.,  by  a  little  longer  detour,  it  brought 
us  once  more  to  the  open  gates. 

We  were  still  skimming  through  the  air  like  a  bird  on  the 
wing,  but  Saladin  was  moving  quietly  and  I  felt  sure  I  could 
stop  him  at  a  word.  Once  more  we  flashed  up  to  the  door,  and 
at  the  sound  of  ringing  hoofs  out  they  all  rushed  again,  with 
young  William  and  Lloyd  in  the  lead,  and  Mademoiselle  linger 
ing  in  the  rear.  At  my  check  on  his  bridle  and  at  my  word 
Saladin  stopped  still,  as  I  had  believed  he  would,  and  I  sprang 
from  the  saddle  and  stood  at  his  head  lest  he  be  frightened 
at  the  clamor  of  excited  voices  welcoming  me  back  to  safety. 

Oh,  he  was  a  beauty  to  look  upon !  Flecked  with  foam,  eyes 
still  flashing  fire,  muscles  quivering,  and  yet  standing  as  stead 
fast  as  any  soldier  at  his  post.  Lloyd  came  down  and  threw 
his  arm  over  the  splendid  creature's  neck,  and  for  one  moment 
I  felt  a  spasm  of  jealousy  that  Mademoiselle  should  see  what 
a  splendid  picture  they  made,  horse  and  man  both  so  magnifi 
cent,  like  some  grand  St.  George  and  his  charger. 

But  then  Mademoiselle  herself  came  down  from  the  high 
stoop  and  stood  beside  me  and  stroked  Saladin's  pretty  white 
nose  with  her  little  hand  and  called  him  "  Good  fellow,  fine 
fellow !  "  until  he  began  to  understand  it,  and  to  like  her  soft 
touch  and  soft  voice  and  rub  his  nose  gently  against  her  arm, 
and  then  I  knew  my  beauty  was  tamed. 

They  were  all  loud  in  their  praises  of  my  horsemanship, 
and  Master  William  was  loudest  of  all.  "  Wonderful ! "  they 
called  it,  and  many  other  extravagant  words  they  used.  But 
Mademoiselle,  standing  by  my  side,  and  speaking  caressing 
words  in  Saladin's  ear,  his  beautiful  head  bent  knowingly  to 
ward  her  to  hear  them,  had  a  few  half-whispered  words  for  my 
ear  alone: 

"  It  was  splendid !  I  have  never  seen  anything  so  magni 
ficent.  I  would  not  have  missed  seeing  it  for  worlds,  but  not 
for  ten  thousand  worlds  would  I  be  willing  to  look  upon  it 
again." 

And  I,  feeling  suddenly  and  wonderfully  elated  at  the  words 


I  MAKE  A  FAITHFUL  FRIEND  119 

i 

of  Miss  Livingston's  French  "companion,"  could  not  resist 
looking  straight  into  her  eyes  and  asking  boldly : 

"Why  not?" 

To  which  daring  question  I  received,  as  I  deserved,  no  an 
swer. 


XI 

I  ENTER  INTO  THE  SHADOW 

~~1  /T  ADEMOISELLE,  at  my  bold  question,  had  turned  away 
J.V1  with  her  head  lifted  and  walked  back  into  the  house. 
I  was  ashamed,  but  I  was  also  a  little  angry,  and  I  hastened 
to  make  my  adieux  to  Mrs.  Livingston.  To  her  remonstrance  at 
my  leaving  so  soon  I  answered  that  I  had  already  delayed  be 
yond  my  time  and  if  I  reached  the  ferry  by  twelve  o'clock  it 
would  be  by  grace  of  Saladin's  fleetness. 

"  I  wish  I  could  go  with  Sir  Lionel,  Aunt  Kitty,"  said 
Master  William,  his  eyes  fixed  wistfully  on  the  horse. 

"  Into  that  fever-stricken  city !  Never  !  "  exclaimed  his  aunt 
hastily,  and  then  she  added,  as  much  I  believe  to  console  the 
boy  as  out  of  courtesy  to  me,  "  but  we  hope  to  have  Sir  Lionel 
with  us  often ;  perhaps  he  will  bring  Saladin  back  himself." 

That  I  said  I  would  gladly  do,  and  Mademoiselle  not  appear 
ing  again  to  give  me  a  chance  for  a  last  word  of  apology  —  or 
reproach,  I  was  not  quite  sure  which  it  would  be  —  my  fare 
wells  were  soon  spoken.  My  American  friend  was  to  remain 
through  the  hot  noon  hour  at  Liberty  Hall  for  the  sake  of 
Bourbon  Prince,  but  he  accompanied  me  a  little  way  on  my 
journey  to  impress  upon  me  once  more  that  as  soon  as  he 
found  that  his  father  was  well  enough,  and  affairs  at  home  in  a 
sufficiently  cheerful  state,  he  should  expect  a  visit  from  me.  On 
no  other  condition,  he  said  earnestly,  would  he  be  at  all  willing 
to  part  with  me  now,  and  I  was  only  too  glad  that  I  was  to 
meet  him  again. 

Although  only  a  year  or  two  older  than  I,  he  had  always 
seemed  to  me  much  the  elder,  perhaps  because  of  his  great  size, 
or  perhaps  from  a  certain  gravity  of  demeanor,  unusual  in  so 
young  a  man.  I  sometimes  thought  that  it  was  because  we 

120 


I  ENTER  INTO  THE  SHADOW       121 

were  so  unlike  in  size,  in  looks,  in  character  and  in  tempera 
ment,  that  I  found  myself  so  strongly  drawn  to  him.  Now 
when  he  spoke  a  few  generous  words  in  praise  of  my  horseman 
ship  and  again  in  strong  approbation  of  my  course  in  going 
back  to  nurse  the  fever-stricken,  I  felt  myself  flush  with  pleas 
ure  much  as  a  boy  might,  at  the  approval  of  an  older  man 
whom  he  greatly  admired. 

Saladin  was  ambling  quietly  along  by  the  side  of  Bourbon 
Prince  quite  as  if  they  were  old  friends  or  as  if  he  were  imi 
tating  Bourbon's  good  behavior.  Young  horses  are  much  like 
young  men,  and  a  good  example  is  a  good  thing  for  them.  Sala 
din  learned  much  from  Bourbon  Prince  in  that  short  ride. 

When  I  had  said  good-by  to  my  friend,  and  Saladin,  no 
doubt,  had  said  good-by  to  Bourbon,  I  pressed  on  through  the 
hot  noon-day  to  the  ferry,  glad  enough  that  I  had  so  fleet  a 
horse,  or  I  would  never  have  made  it,  and,  irksome  as  my  en 
gagement  seemed  to  me,  and  little  as  I  liked  the  man  with 
whom  it  was  to  be  kept,  for  those  very  reasons  I  would  have 
been  exceedingly  sorry  to  fail  in  the  keeping  of  it. 

I  had  expected  to  have  trouble  with  Saladin  at  the  ferry 
in  getting  him  aboard,  and  in  keeping  him  there,  and  he  did 
not  disappoint  me.  It  was  a  bad  quarter  of  an  hour  for  the 
ferryman  and  his  three  oarsmen,  as  well  as  for  myself,  before 
we  got  him  sufficiently  quieted  down  for  a  start.  I  stood  at 
his  head  and  talked  to  him  all  the  way  over  and,  since  I  had 
already  discovered  that  he  was  of  keen  intelligence,  that  a  les 
son  once  learned  was  well  learned,  I  believed  that  I  would 
never  have  the  same  trouble  again  in  getting  him  aboard  a  boat. 

Three  o'clock  found  me  at  the  mayors  office  in  that  Fed 
eral  building  my  black  guide  of  the  day  before  had  pointed 
out  to  me  as  the  one  where  Washington  was  inaugurated  as 
first  President.  It  was  now  used  as  a  City  Hall,  and  I  en 
tered  its  doors  with  a  feeling  of  veneration  that  amounted 
almost  to  awe  as  I  thought  of  him  who  so  short  a  time  before 
had  trod  those  corridors. 

Mingled  with  that  sensation  was  a  strong  shrinking  from  the 
task  I  was  about  to  engage  in.  Had  I  been  able  to  see  what 


122  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

trouble  and  distress  my  entering  those  doors  was  to  bring  upon 
me  I  could  not  have  felt  a  greater  shrinking  than  I  felt  as  my 
hand  lifted  the  massive  brass  knocker  and  read  over  the  door 
the  simple  inscription,  "  Office  of  the  Mayor  of  the  City  of 
New  York." 

The  fall  of  the  heavy  knocker  waked  the  echoes  in  those  de 
serted  halls,  but  scarcely  had  the  echoes  died  away,  when  Mr. 
La  Force  himself  opened  the  door  and  stood  before  me  with  a 
smile  intended,  no  doubt,  to  be  cordial. 

"  Come  in,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  said  with  impressement.  "  You 
are  promptness  itself,  and  I  cannot  half  express  to  you  under 
what  obligations  you  are  putting  both  Mr.  Livingston  and 
myself  by  your  ready  proffer  of  aid  in  my  dilemma." 

I  was  glad  he  brought  in  Mr.  Livingston's  name,  for  the 
man's  voice  rang  so  false  to  me,  and  his  glittering  smile  with  its 
flash  of  white  teeth  and  dull  cold  eyes  above  them,  struck 
me  as  so  insincere,  that  but  for  that  name,  the  name  of  a  man 
whom  I  had  begun  to  idealize  as  a  hero,  I  would  have  been 
ready  to  withdraw  the  "proffer"  which  I  had  never  made; 
since  in  place  of  proffering,  I  had  yielded  a  rather  unwilling 
assent  to  his  petition  for  aid. 

But  no  doubt  I  was  doing  him  an  injustice.  Every  man 
could  not  have  the  frank,  trust-inspiring  countenance  of  my 
great-hearted  friend  from  whom  I  had  just  parted.  Perhaps 
it  was  only  a  difference  of  nationality  which  I  could  not  fully 
comprehend;  perhaps  it  was  the  inheritance,  in  the  Anglo- 
Saxon,  of  many  generations  of  national  antipathy  to  the  Gaul. 

At  any  rate  I  could  see  at  a  glance  that  every  arrangement 
had  been  made  for  my  comfort.  When  I  had  taken  my  seat 
in  a  luxurious  chair,  indicated  to  me  by  Mr.  La  Force,  I  found 
at  my  elbow  a  little  stand  on  which  were  arranged  glasses,  a 
decanter  of  port  and  another  of  Madeira,  both  glowing  mellow 
through  the  clear  crystal,  a  jar  of  cigars,  a  pipe,  a  bag  of  cut 
tobacco  and  a  curiously  inlaid  box  of  finest  Melton.  Eeady 
to  my  hand,  also,  was  a  little  pile  of  books,  some  of  them  old 
favorites  of  mine  from  the  pen  of  Mrs.  Eadcliffe  and  Mr.  Rich 
ardson,  but  one,  at  least,  by  an  author  entirely  unknown  to  me, 


I  ENTEE  INTO  THE  SHADOW       123 

an  American,  Mr.  Brown  by  name,  whose  story  "  Wieland,"  my 
host  assured  me,  was  well  worth  reading. 

"  These  are  the  arrangements  I  have  made  for  your  com 
fort  during  your  two  days  of  incarceration,"  said  my  host,  in 
dicating  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  the  books,  wine  and  tobacco. 
"  I  hope  when  I  meet  you  again  you  will  be  able  to  tell  me 
that  they  have  been  successful.  You  can  see  for  yourself  that 
our  windows  face  Broad  Street,  and  you  can  feel  for  yourself 
the  cool  breeze  that  always  comes  up  that  street,  straight  from 
the  bay." 

The  windows  were  wide  open  and  through  them  was  sweep 
ing  at  that  moment  a  miniature  gale  from  the  south,  impreg 
nated  with  the  salt  air  of  the  sea.  I  could  not  but  acknowl 
edge  to  myself  and  to  my  host  that  what  he  had  said  of  the 
mayor's  office  was  true  —  I  had  found  no  place  since  reaching 
New  York  so  delightfully  cool. 

Then  Mr.  La  Force  insisted  that  before  introducing  me  to 
the  duties  of  my  new  office  I  should  join  him  in  a  biscuit  and 
a  glass  of  port,  very  old  port,  he  said,  brought  over  from  his 
uncle's  cellars  in  France. 

I  was  quite  ready  for  the  glass  of  wine,  since  I  was  still 
somewhat  exhausted  from  the  heat,  but  to  part  of  his  speech  I 
objected. 

"  Duties ! "  I  exclaimed,  "  I  thought  there  were  to  be  no 
duties;  that  I  was  to  sit  here  and  read  for  a  few  hours  each 
day  merely  to  show  any  passer-by  that  there  was  someone  in 
the  office." 

"You  are  quite  right,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  agreed,  with  his 
artificial  smile  that  I  had  begun  to  detest;  "there  are  no  duties 
that  could  be  called  such,  but  it  is  just  possible  that  one  or 
two  people  whom  I  will  name  to  you,  and  describe,  will  call 
for  the  payment  of  sums  due  them  from  the  city,  and  I  will 
have  to  show  you  where  the  money  is  kept  and  give  you  a  state 
ment  of  the  amount  on  hand." 

The  blood  rushed  to  my  face.  It  had  not  entered  into  my 
thought  that  I  would  have  anything  to  do  with  money,  and 
paying  city  officials  seemed  to  me  like  the  smallest  kind  of 


124  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

clerk's  work.  I  have  no  doubt  I  was  unduly  sensitive,  but  I 
answered  haughtily: 

"  My  breeding  as  an  English  gentleman,  Mr.  La  Force,  has 
not  qualified  me  for  a  clerk's  duties,  and  I  must  decline  to 
act  as  such  in  your  absence." 

I  could  discover  a  dull  red  mounting  slowly  into  the  sallow 
cheek  of  the  Frenchman,  and  with  cause,  I  had  to  confess,  but 
he  hastened  to  reply  very  affably: 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir  Lionel,  I  had  no  idea  of  asking 
you  to  act  as  a  clerk.  There  may  be  a  number  of  people  pre 
senting  bills  —  though  I  hope  you  will  not  be  often  disturbed. 
To  all  such  you  need  only  say  that  I  will  be  absent  until 
the  second  day  after  to-morrow;  that  if  they  will  call  then  I 
will  see  them.  The  two  of  whom  I  spoke  are  old  pensioners, 
very  faithful  in  their  day,  but  feeble  and  worn-out  now,  and 
dependent  upon  the  little  pittance  they  receive  at  this  office 
for  their  daily  bread.  They  may  not  come  either  to-morrow 
or  next  day,  but,  if  they  should,  I  would  not  like  them  to  be 
disappointed.  Would  you  mind,  in  that  case,  handing  them 
their  little  pensions?  They  will  be  enclosed  in  envelopes,  in 
scribed  with  their  names." 

This  put  an  entirely  different  aspect  on  the  transaction:  it 
was  a  deed  of  charity  I  was  to  execute,  and  not  the  performance 
of  a  clerk's  duties.  It  also  showed  Mr.  La  Force  in  a  more 
amiable  light  than  I  had  hitherto  regarded  him,  and  I  hastened 
to  assure  him  that  I  should  not  mind  it  at  all.  I  should,  in 
deed,  find  only  pleasure  in  such  a  commission. 

He  thanked  me,  over  exuberantly,  I  thought,  and  then  rose 
with  a  careless  air  of  doing  the  only  thing  possible  under  the 
circumstances. 

"  Step  with  me  into  the  inner  office  a  moment,  if  you 
please,  then,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  begged,  politely,  "  and  I  will  show 
you  the  location  of  the  envelopes  and  the  other  money  in  the 
vaults." 

I  had  risen  at  his  first  motion,  ready  to  accompany  him, 
but  at  the  word  "  money  "  I  drew  back. 


I  ENTER  INTO  THE  SHADOW       125 

"  Is  that  necessary,  Mr.  La  Force  ?  I  much  prefer  to  know 
nothing  about  the  money  in  the  office." 

"  Yes,  I  think  it  necessary,"  he  said  gravely,  but  also  very 
gently,  as  if  he  sympathized  with  my  scruples.  "  In  case  of 
an  emergency  arising,  which  I  do  not  anticipate,  but  for  which 
it  is  well  to  be  prepared,  it  would  be  quite  necessary  to  have 
someone  who  knew  the  money's  location  and  how  to  get  at  it. 
Unfortunately,  of  our  three  clerks,  one  is  ill  and  the  other 
two  are  on  their  vacations ;  there  will  be  no  one  about  the  build 
ing  but  the  janitor,  who  will  call  upon  you  at  intervals  to 
furnish  you  with  fresh  water  and  anything  else  you  may  need, 
and  whom  you  can  call,  when  you  want  him,  by  pulling  the 
bell  rope." 

His  explanation  only  made  the  matter  appear  worse  to  me. 

"  No  one  about  the  building '  ''  I  exclaimed  angrily.  "  Do 
you  mean  to  say  I  alone  am  to  be  held  responsible  for  the 
safety  of  the  city's  money?  What  is  to  hinder  an  organized 
band  of  robbers,  whose  business  it  is  to  keep  informed  of  such 
a  state  of  affairs,  from  coming  into  the  office,  overpowering  me, 
and  helping  themselves." 

Mr.  La  Force  smiled,  a  little  superciliously,  I  thought. 

"  We  have  no  '  organized  bands  of  robbers '  in  this  new 
country,  Sir  Lionel,  but,  of  course, "  with  a  sneer  ever  so 
slight,  but  which  I  could  not  endure,  "  if  Sir  Lionel  has  fears 
for  his  personal  safety  I  will  try  to  find  someone  else  to  do 
Mr.  Livingston  this  service,  though  I  fear  the  hour  is  late. " 

The  wretch  knew  that  I  was  but  a  boy  and  a  boy  of  so  haughty 
a  spirit  as  could  ill  brook  his  insinuations. 

"  Lead  on,  Mr.  La  Force, "  I  said  grimly,  "  though  it  still 
seems  to  me  a  very  unusual  and  extraordinary  proceeding  to 
entrust  the  safety  of  the  city's  moneys  to  one  man,  unarmed 
and  a  stranger  at  that.  But  as  to  fears  —  I  do  not  know  them." 

Mr.  La  Force  was  all  suave  compliance  once  more. 

"  Forgive  me,  Sir  Lionel.  I  should  have  known  better  than 
to  make  such  imputations  against  a  British  nobleman  of  your 
standing,  and,  indeed,  I  did  not  intend  to  make  them.  It  was 


126  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

a  slip  in  the  form  of  speech.  I  must  have  intended  to  say 
'  scruples ' ;  I  could  never  associate  you  with  an  idea  of  fear." 

I  accepted  his  apology,  as  I  needs  must,  and  though  I  did 
not  like  the  business  at  all,  I  went  with  him  into  the  inner 
office,  where  he  showed  me  a  secret  drawer  in  which  he  kept 
the  keys  to  the  vault,  three  in  number,  opening  an  outer  door, 
an  inner  door  and  a  second  inner  door  respectively.  The  last 
door  disclosed  a  deep  closet  with  many  drawers  and  compart 
ments.  He  opened  only  four  of  these  —  in  one  lay  pieces  of 
gold  and  on  the  top  of  them  a  paper  with  the  amount  of 
gold  in  the  drawer  written  upon  it;  in  another  lay  bank  notes 
with  a  similar  piece  of  paper,  and  in  a  third,  silver  done  up 
in  dollar  and  ten-dollar  packages.  The  fourth  drawer  held, 
among  other  papers,  the  two  envelopes  to  be  given  to  the  two 
pensioners  if  they  called. 

I  cannot  describe  how  intensely  distasteful  this  whole  bus 
iness  was  to  me.  I  hardly  glanced  at  the  money  or  listened  to 
him  when  he  named  the  amount  in  each  drawer,  and  I  was  in 
a  great  hurry  to  have  the  inspection  over  and  done  with.  So, 
to  do  him  justice,  did  he  seem  to  be.  But,  just  as  he  was  about 
closing  the  last  drawer  with  the  quick  turn  of  the  lock  that  I 
had  noted,  as  seeming  to  indicate  either  impatience  or  nervous 
ness  of  some  kind,  I  stopped  him.  An  idea  had  flashed  into 
my  head. 

"  Mr.  La  Force,"  I  said,  "  one  moment,  if  you  please.  If 
you  will  allow  me  I  will  take  those  two  envelopes  and  keep 
them  in  my  own  possession,  then  I  will  probably  not  be  obliged 
to  open  the  vault  in  your  absence." 

He  demurred  at  first,  and  I  think  as  much  as  he  dared. 
"They  were  much  safer  in  the  vault.  It  was  giving  me  un 
necessary  trouble  and  responsibility." 

But  I  did  not  attempt  to  disguise  my  displeasure  at  his  hes 
itation. 

"You  cannot  think,  sir,"  I  said,  and  I  have  no  doubt  I 
spoke  arrogantly,  for  the  man  began  to  seem  to  me  like  a  cur. 
"You  cannot  think  I  could  not  be  responsible  for  so  small  a 
sum.  Write  the  amount  on  each  envelope  and  if  I  lose  them 


I  ENTER  INTO  THE  SHADOW       127 

I  will  replace  them,  but  I  will  not  open  that  vault  in  your  ab 
sence." 

He  complied,  finally,  but  with  a  very  poor  grace,  and  made 
a  great  point  once  more  of  showing  me  the  secret  of  the  hidden 
drawer  where  the  keys  to  the  vault  were  kept,  and  would  have 
me  attempt  the  manipulation  of  it  myself  that  I  might  be  sure 
to  know  how  to  open  it  if  I  should  need  the  keys,  but  this  I 
flatly  refused  to  do. 

"  I  shall  not  need  them,"  I  said  curtly,  "  and  if  anyone 
comes  who  wants  money  I  hope  I  shall  have  forgotten  how  to 
open  the  secret  drawer,  so  that  I  may  be  able  to  tell  them,  with 
a  clear  conscience  that  I  cannot  enter  the  vault." 

Mr.  La  Force  smiled,  a  little  more  perfunctorily  than  usual, 
if  that  were  possible,  and  having  now  evidently  no  desire  to 
detain  me,  and  I  being  in  haste  to  be  gone,  he  politely  showed 
me  the  door  with  a  reminder,  "  On  the  morrow  at  ten ! "  and 
with  effusive  thanks  for  my  kindness. 

Saladin  was  waiting  for  me  at  the  pavement,  held  by  a 
groom  from  the  City  Tavern  who  had  accompanied  me  to  the 
Federal  Hall.  I  had  found  a  note  awaiting  me  at  the  inn 
on  my  return  from  Liberty  Hall  inviting  me  to  dinner  at 
Richmond  Hill  at  half  past  four  —  the  Vice-president's  dinner 
hour  was  a  half  hour  later  than  Mr.  Hamilton's,  indicating,  I 
suppose,  a  greater  degree  of  ceremony,  as  befitted  the  Vice-pres 
ident  of  the  nation. 

Richmond  Plill  was  not  so  far  away  but  that  Saladin's  winged 
feet  would  carry  me  there  in  half  an  hour.  I  had  donned 
black  satin  and  point  lace  before  making  my  call  on  Mr.  La 
Force,  so  that  I  was  ready  for  dinner  and  had  an  hour  at  my 
disposal.  I  would  ride  on  beyond  Richmond  Hill  to  the  pretty 
village  of  Greenwich,  and  farther  still  if  Saladin  should  prove 
fleet  enough,  and  perhaps,  with  his  great  strides  and  leaps 
through  the  air,  I  could  shake  off  the  memory  of  that  distasteful 
visit.  Saladin  was  my  good  angel  and  by  the  time  I  had 
reached  Richmond  Hill,  a  much  statelier  mansion  and  a  nobler 
park  than  the  Grange,  I  was  once  more  in  the  equable  frame 
of  mind  befitting  a  dinner  guest.  And  by  the  time  I  had  spent 


128 

the  evening  with  my  wonderful  and  gracious  hostess,  and  the 
fascinating  Vice-president,  under  the  spell  of  whose  magnetic 
voice  and  winning  ways  I  was  rapidly  falling  (though  I  found 
no  one  among  the  guests  to  take  the  place  of  the  clever  young 
Irving,  the  vivacious  Miss  Livingston,  and  —  Miss  Desloge)  by 
the  time  the  evening  was  over  and  I  was  flying  through  the  dew- 
drenched  air  on  Saladin's  back,  the  stars  throbbing  and  blazing 
above  me  as  I  had  never  seen  them  throb  and  blaze  in  our  misty 
English  sky,  I  had  forgotten  Mr.  La  Force  with  his  hateful 
smile  and  his  eyes  with  their  white-rimmed  pupils  and  black- 
lashed  lower  lids,  which  had  begun  to  haunt  me  like  the  eyes  of 
some  evil  beast  of  prey. 


XII 


I  CONCLUDED  that  my  distaste  for  the  service  that  I  had 
bound  myself  to  in  the  mayor's  office,  and  my  worry  as  to 
its  results,  were  both  needless,  when,  at  the  end  of  the  two  days, 
promptly  at  three,  Mr.  La  Force  returned  and  I  delivered  over 
the  office  to  his  care,  together  with  the  two  envelopes,  which 
had  not  been  called  for. 

For  absolutely  nothing  had  happened  in  those  two  days.  At 
ten  o'clock  on  each  morning  I  had  presented  myself  at  the 
mayor's  office,  where  the  polite  custodian  of  the  place,  a  negro, 
of  course,  was  awaiting  me  with  smiling  offers  of  service. 
From  ten  to  three  I  sat  alone  with  my  cigar  and  my  book, 
which  proved  more  entertaining  than  I  had  hoped.  I  had  not 
expected  much  from  an  American  author,  but  Mr.  Brown's 
"  Wieland,"  though  not  equal  in  pathos  to  "  Clarissa  Harlowe  " 
nor  comparable  in  excitement  to  the  "  Mysteries  of  Udolpho," 
was  yet  fairly  exciting,  with  its  romantic  seductions  and  elegant 
libertines  and  all  the  other  thrilling  elements  of  a  corrupt  so 
ciety  that  our  novelists,  I  have  never  quite  understood  why,  love 
to  dwell  upon. 

In  all  those  two  days  while  I  was  wrapped  in  the  woes  of 
Clara,  not  once  was  I  interrupted  by  a  caller;  by  nothing,  in 
deed,  more  disturbing  than  my  negro  valet  de  chambre  bring 
ing  me  fresh  drinking  water  or  inquiring  if  there  was  any 
thing  he  could  do  for  me.  I  began  to  excuse  Mr.  La  Force's 
smile  at  my  "  organized  band  of  robbers."  Indeed,  I  smiled 
at  it  myself  and  said  something  of  the  kind  to  him  when  I 
handed  him  back  the  two  uncalled-for  envelopes.  There  was  a 
little  flicker  of  his  eyelid  that  I  did  not  quite  like,  when  I 
handed  them  back,  but,  then,  there  were  many  things  about 
9  129 


130  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

him  that  I  did  not  quite  like  and  this  was  one  of  the  least  of 
them.  He  was  profuse  again  in  his  thanks  and  I  was  in  haste 
to  shake  the  dust  of  the  office  from  me  and  be  away  to  Cock 
loft  Hall.  Mr.  Irving  and  Mr.  Kemble  were  to  meet  me  at 
the  City  Tavern  at  half  past  three  and  I  stood  not  upon  the 
order  of  my  going  with  Mr.  La  Force. 

I  was  riding  Saladin  as  we  three  started  on  our  madcap 
dash  up  Broadway  and  through  Courtlandt  Street  toward  the 
ferry  to  Paulus  Hook.  I  was  still  in  possession  of  the  horse, 
because  the  day  before  I  had  received  a  note  from  William 
begging  me  to  keep  him  at  least  through  the  fall  months,  and, 
by  that  time,  possibly,  after  he  had  been  through  the  thorough 
course  of  training  he  knew  I  would  give  him,  he  might  be  al 
lowed  to  ride  him ;  otherwise,  he  feared  that  Aunt  Kitty  would 
persuade  his  mother  to  do  as  all  her  friends  advised  —  send 
him  back  to  Monticello. 

So  Saladin  was  to  be  mine  for  some  weeks,  at  least,  and  I 
had  great  joy  in  his  possession.  I  accepted  him  the  more  read 
ily  since  I  knew  there  was  much  truth  in  what  Mrs.  Living 
ston  had  said;  he  was  not  fit  for  any  boy's  riding,  but  I  was  so 
proudly  greedy  of  his  beauty  and  spirit  I  believe  I  would  have 
snatched  at  the  chance  offered  me  to  possess  him  for  a  while 
even  without  such  good  excuse.  At  the  ferry  he  showed  his 
breeding  by  behaving  like  a  gentleman.  He  trembled  violently, 
but  he  did  not  refuse  to  walk  the  gang-plank.  I  stood  by  him 
to  comfort  him  all  the  way  across,  and  he  seemed  to  appreciate 
it  and  to  try  to  thank  me  for  doing  so  in  the  pretty  way  he 
had  first  used  to  Miss  Desloge,  and  was  beginning  now  to  use 
to  me,  by  rubbing  his  soft  muzzle  gently  up  and  down  my  arm. 
Irving  and  Kemble  fastened  their  horses  and  stood  by  me  ad 
miring  Saladin's  many  beauties  and  discussing  his  virtues  and 
vices;  but  I  was  rapidly  growing  so  fond  of  him  that  I  was 
beginning  to  feel  as  many  foolish  mothers  feel  about  their  chil 
dren,  unwilling  to  acknowledge  that  he  had  any  vices. 

Cockloft  Hall  was  on  the  Newark  road,  about  a  mile  on  the 
hither  side  of  the  village.  It  was  in  no  sense  a  great  place. 
There  could  not  have  been  more  than  twenty  acres  in  the 


131 

grounds  and  the  house  was  quite  near  the  road,  a  short  drive 
leading  up  to  a  honeysuckled  porch  at  the  entrance.  The  house 
itself  was  broad  and  low,  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  front,  and  over 
the  central  part  only  was  a  second  story.  It  stood  on  the 
banks  of  the  Passaic  and,  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  orchards, 
hanging  heavy  with  scarlet  and  gold  apples  and  the  crimson 
globes  of  peaches,  sloped  down  to  the  river.  I  had  only  time 
to  note  so  much  when  out  from  the  house,  whooping  like  wild 
Indians,  raced  half  a  dozen  young  men  to  meet  us,  and  a 
negro  boy  came  running  around  the  house  to  take  our  horses. 

Now  I  had  known  something  of  wild  spirits  and  wild  ways 
among  young  men  at  Oxford.  I  had  seen  deep  drinking  and 
high  playing;  I  had  seen  men  go  mad  with  excitement  over 
cards,  and  there  was  no  kind  of  deviltry  those  Oxford  men 
could  not  think  of  when  they  had  had  too  much  wine.  But, 
in  the  first  twelve  hours  I  spent  at  Cockloft  Hall,  I  saw  more 
pure  fun  and  frolic  and  wilder  animal  spirits  than  I  had 
seen  in  my  four  years  at  Oxford,  yet  all  was  so  amiable 
and  gay;  there  was  no  quarreling,  no  heavy  drinking;  there 
was  so  much  wit  and  sparkle  with  the  fun  that  I  began  to 
think  my  American  cousins  the  most  charming  people  in  the 
world. 

"  Let  me  present  the  Lads  of  Kilkenny  to  Sir  Lionel  March- 
mont,"  said  young  Mr.  Irving,  as  soon  as  Saladin  gave  me  a 
chance  to  get  off  his  back. 

"  The  Nine  Worthies  of  Manhattan,  you  mean,  Jonathan," 
interposed  a  man  whom  I  afterward  learned  was  Mr.  Irving's 
older  brother  Peter,  making  a  grand  salaam  as  he  spoke.  "  I 
am  glad  to  know  you,  Sir  Lionel." 

"  The  Doctor  has  made  a  little  mistake,  Sir  Lionel,"  inter 
posed  a  slender  youth  with  the  waving  hair  and  dreamy  eyes 
of  a  poet,  "  Not  the  Nine  Worthies,  but  the  Ancient  and  Hon 
orable  Order  of  Cocks  of  the  Loft.  I  am  Billy  Taylor  at  your 
service,  sir,  and  one  of  the  least  of  the  Cocks." 

But  here  our  host  interrupted,  "  Just  wait  one  moment, 
Ancients  and  Honorables,  let  us  put  it  straight  to  start  with. 
Sir  Lionel,  I  present  to  you  the  ancient  and  learned  Mr.  Peter 


133  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Irving,  best  known  as  the  Doctor.  This  is  Mr.  Paulding,  our 
poet,  who  calls  himself  Billy  Taylor;  and  the  next  man  is 
Mr.  Dick  McCall,  alias  Ooromdates.  You  will  recognize  Sin- 
bad,  I  am  sure,  known  in  polite  society  as  Mr.  David  Porter, 
a  true  salt.  That  handsome  man  next  is  Mr.  Henry  Ogden, 
our  Supercargo.  I  am  sorry  to  say  there  are  only  seven  of 
our  Worthies  present.  Nuncle  and  Captain  Greatheart,  other 
wise  known  as  Mr.  Henry  Brevoort,  Jr.,  and  Mr.  Ebenezer 
Irving  are  both  out  of  town.  Gentlemen,  I  propose  that  for 
to-night  and  to-morrow  we  make  Sir  Lionel  one  of  our  Ancient 
and  Honorable  Order." 

I  was  taken  into  their  order  with  shouts  of  welcome  and  a 
strong  grip  from  every  hand.  That  ceremony  was  performed 
on  the  honeysuckle  porch,  and  as  my  host  ushered  me  into  the 
drawing-room  (an  imposing  apartment  richly  furnished  in  the 
oriental  manner,  opening  by  wide  doors  at  one  end  into  a 
great  dining-room  and  at  the  other  into  a  library  or  smoking 
room),  he  appealed  to  his  companions,  "Well,  lads,  shall  we 
give  Sir  Lionel  the  Green  Moreen  Chamber  ?  " 

There  was  a  universal  shout  in  response  of  "  No,  no,  Pa 
troon,"  and  then  out  of  the  babel  of  tongues  I  caught  three  dis 
tinct  suggestions: 

"  Give  him  the  blue  chintz  chamber." 

"  Give  him  the  pink  chintz  chamber." 

"  Give  him  the  red  silk  chamber." 

The  Patroon  laughed  and  turned  to  young  Mr.  Irving. 
"  What  do  you  say,  Jonathan  ?  " 

"  Give  him  the  Green  Moreen  Chamber,  by  all  means ;  Sir 
Lionel  is  no  baby,"  said  Mr.  Irving. 

"  You  know,  gentlemen,"  said  the  Patroon  courteously,  "  Jon 
athan's  word  is  law  with  me."  And  then  to  me :  "  Sir  Lio 
nel,  our  quarters  at  Cockloft  Hall  are  somewhat  confined.  As 
a  rule  we  find  it  necessary  to  give  every  man  a  roommate, 
but  since  there  are  only  eight  of  us  to-night  you  can  sleep 
alone  unless  you  prefer  company." 

Now  there  had  been  something  mysterious  in  the  sound 
of  the  Green  Moreen  Chamber,  and  particularly  had  Mr. 


THE  GREEN  MOREEN  CHAMBER  133 

Irving's  dictum  that  I  was  "  no  baby "  suggested  the  need  of 
courage  to  a  man  sleeping  in  it.  Was  it  haunted?  Well, 
since  Mr.  Irving  had  put  me  there,  I  would  choose  Mr.  Irving 
for  a  roommate.  If  there  were  any  peril  in  occupying  that 
chamber,  he  should  share  it. 

When  I  said  so  to  my  host,  my  decision  was  greeted  with  a 
shout  of  delight,  and  Mr.  Irving  was,  or  pretended  to  be,  quite 
crestfallen. 

A  curving  staircase  ascended  from  one  end  of  the  Chinese 
Room,  as  the  drawing-room  was  called,  but  before  showing 
me  upstairs  to  the  Green  Moreen  Chamber,  the  seven  Worthies 
held  a  solemn  conclave  as  to  the  name  by  which  I  should  be 
known  as  long  as  I  remained  a  member  of  their  Ancient  and 
Honorable  Order.  They  settled  on  "  The  Knight  of  the  Green 
Moreen,"  and  when  I  suggested  it  might  be  more  appropriate 
to  call  me  "  The  Green  Knight  of  the  Moreen,"  they  assented 
gravely,  and  added  that,  out  of  deference  to  my  expressed  wish 
they  would  call  me  "  Green "  for  short,  and  "  Green "  I  re 
mained  to  those  seven  men  as  often  as  I  met  them  and  as  long  as 
I  remained  in  America. 

I  liked  it  well,  for  though  my  title  of  Sir  Lionel  was  not 
much  of  a  title,  yet  I  could  not,  probably,  in  any  other  way, 
have  persuaded  them  to  drop  it  on  so  short  an  acquaintance, 
and  I  should  have  had  to  call  them  Mr.  Paulding,  Mr.  Irving, 
Mr.  Ogden,  etc.,  which  makes  always,  I  find,  for  formality  and 
against  good  fellowship. 

It  had  been  half  past  three  when  we  left  the  City  Tavern. 
It  was  now  six  o'clock,  and,  being  late  August,  the  long  shad 
ows  were  on  the  grass  and  the  sun  was  nearing  its  setting. 
My  usual  dinner  hour  had  been  half  past  three,  but,  owing  to 
our  impatience  to  be  off,  I  had  only  secured  a  bite  of  luncheon 
after  my  return  from  Mr.  Livingston's  office,  and  I  was  be 
ginning  now  to  think  of  tea  with  longing  and  to  hope  that  it 
might  prove  a  more  substantial  meal  than  tea  was  generally 
supposed  to  be,  and  earlier  than  the  usual  half  past  seven  or 
eight  o'clock  hour.  I  determined  on  an  expeditious  toilet  and 
started  with  alacrity  to  follow  Mr.  Irving  towards  the  curving 


134  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

staircase.  But  before  I  had  reached  the  first  step  someone 
called : 

"  Hello,  Green,  what  do  you  say  to  giving  us  a  back  before 
you  go  upstairs  ?  You  will  have  your  work  all  to  do  over  again 
if  you  get  ready  for  supper  now." 

I  did  not,  for  a  moment,  recognize  my  new  name  nor  did  I 
recognize  what  was  meant  by  "  giving  a  back."  But  I  was  not 
left  long  in  doubt,  for  my  friend  "  Jonathan  "  turning  quickly 
caught  me  by  the  arm  and  wheeled  me  right-about-face. 

"  Why,  of  course,"  he  shouted.  "  Come  along,  Lads ;  come 
along,  Green,"  and  in  five  minutes  I  found  myself  in  the  shady 
orchard  playing  a  more  rough  and  tumble  game  of  leap-frog 
than  I  had  played  since  I  was  a  boy  at  Clover  Combe  Court. 

Now  Irving  and  I  were  the  two  smallest  members  of  this 
band  of  Worthies;  Ogden  and  Porter  were  giants  by  compar 
ison.  It  gave  them  great  delight,  therefore,  when  either  of 
us  was  giving  the  back,  to  dig  our  noses  down  in  the  soft  tan- 
bark  of  the  path  where  we  were  playing,  and,  if  they  were  giv 
ing  the  back,  to  so  lift  their  broad  shoulders  as  to  make  the 
straddling  almost  impossible.  I  was  not  prepared  for  it  at 
first,  and  Ogden,  who  was  the  bigger  man  and  the  bigger  joker 
of  the  two,  made  me  ignominiously  bite  the  dust  on  his  first 
round  over  me,  and  by  rising  suddenly  landed  me  in  the  middle 
of  his  broad  back  as  I  tried  to  go  over  him.  Of  course,  both 
exploits  were  greeted  with  roars  of  laughter,  and  for  one  mo 
ment  I  thought  perhaps  they  were  guying  me  because  I  was 
British,  and  my  temper,  always  quick  to  flash,  began  to  rise. 
These  Yankees  should  not  have  all  the  sport,  I  determined, 
and  the  next  time  the  Supercargo  came  over  me  I  was  ready 
for  him.  As  his  hands  touched  my  back  I  let  myself  go  flat 
and  over  went  the  Supercargo,  his  great  hulk  turning  a  com 
plete  somersault  and  coming  up  with  his  long  hair  full  of  tan 
bark  and  sputtering  out  a  great  mouthful  that  he  had  taken  in 
from  his  unexpected  dive.  This  time  the  shouts  of  laughter 
were  louder  than  at  my  discomfiture.  I  saw  there  was  no  in 
ternational  feeling  here,  and  I  was  quickly  restored  to  my  good 
temper. 


THE  GREEK  MOREEX  CHAMBER  135 

Still  spitting  and  sputtering,  the  Supercargo  shook  his  fist  at 
jne  good-naturedly,  "  I  '11  be  even  with  you,  Mr.  Green,"  he 
shouted,  and  his  friends  began  to  warn  me :  "  Look  out  for 
him,  Green,  when  he  gives  you  a  back,"  and  I  was  on  the  look 
out  for  him. 

Xow  Mr.  Ogden  was  over  six  feet.  His  shoulders  must 
have  been  very  nearly  six  feet  from  the  ground.  I  was  good 
at  a  high  vault  and  I  made  up  my  mind  to  make  a  running 
leap  as  nearly  six  feet  as  I  could  manage.  If  he  did  not  rise 
it  would  carry  me  clean  over  his  head;  if  he  did  rise  I  would 
land  on  his  shoulders,  where  I  hoped  to  land.  And  I  did.  He 
rose,  as  I  expected  him  to,  and  I  landed  square  on  his  shoul 
ders  and  quickly  clasped  my  legs,  about  his  neck.  They  told 
me  afterwards  that  his  amazement  at  this  new  kind  of  Sinbad 
was  something  to  behold.  I  could  not  see  it,  of  course,  but  I 
could  feel  it,  and  clutching  his  long  hair  with  one  hand  I 
waved  the  other  aloft  in  token  of  triumph.  Then  he  began 
to  shake  his  head  and  shoulders  and  try  to  dislodge  me,  but 
I  but  held  the  tighter,  and  when  he  shook  and  pranced  too 
hard  I  had  but  to  press  my  knees  slightly  on  his  jugular  and 
grip  his  hair  tighter  to  make  him  howl  for  mercy,  while  his 
comrades  shrieked  with  delight. 

When  he  found  there  was  no  getting  rid  of  me  in  that  fash 
ion  he  started  on  a  keen  run,  jumping  and  leaping  as  he  ran, 
and  I  thought  I  had  never  found  a  cross  country  run  over 
fences  and  ditches  more  exciting  or  half  so  exhilarating.  The 
six  Worthies  were  at  our  heels  like  a  pack  of  hounds  giving 
mouth  at  sight  of  quarry.  I  did  not  at  first  know  what  he 
was  after  but  those  behind  me  evidently  did,  for  they  began  to 
call  to  the  Supercargo  to  "  Hold  on !  "  "  Don't  be  too  funny !  " 
and  various  other  warnings  and  exhortations,  the  Patroon  fi 
nally  calling  in  stentorian  tones  with  a  ring  of  authority,  "  Put 
him  down,  Supercargo.  Remember !  he  's  our  guest." 

"  Put  me  down  ?  He  'd  like  to  but  he  can't,"  I  called  back 
impudently,  and  came  near  regretting  my  impudence,  for  at 
that  moment  we  burst  through  a  hedge  of  willows  fringing  a 
small  lake  or  pond,  and  the  Supercargo's  intention  became  sud- 


136 

denly  luminous  to  me.  He  paused  for  a  moment  to  get  his 
breath,  and  I  ceased  my  jeering.  I  was  not  afraid  of  water 
but  I  did  not  care  to  go  into  it  with  the  only  suit  of  clothes 
I  had  brought  with  me  on  my  back,  and  it  began  to  look  as  if 
I  might  have  to. 

"  Now,  Sir  Knight  of  the  Green  Moreen,"  he  threatened, 
when  he  had  recovered  his  breath  sufficiently  to  allow  him  to 
speak  between  gasps,  "will  you  get  down  off  my  back  or  shall 
I  douse  you  in  the  water  ?  " 

"  Just  as  you  please,  Mr.  Supercargo,"  I  answered  coolly. 
"  You  know,  of  course,  if  I  go  you  go  too." 

"  Better  to  drown  than  to  be  choked  to  death,"  he  growled. 
"  Here  goes,  sir ! "  And  with  that  he  gave  a  mighty  lunge 
forward. 

I  had  to  think  quickly  and  to  act  quickly.  As  he  sprang 
forward  I  unclasped  my  legs  from  his  neck  and  leaped  as 
nimbly  backward.  I  do  not  think  he  intended  going  into  the 
water;  he  intended  nothing  more  than  to  give  me  a  good  scare, 
but  the  forward  impetus  of  my  backward  spring  was  too  much 
for  his  equilibrium,  and  he  plunged  heavily  into  the  lake  face 
down.  The  water  was  shallow  and  he  was  up  again  in  a  mo 
ment  and  splashing  to  the  shore,  laughing  almost  as  heartily 
as  the  others,  who  were  holding  their  sides  and  doubling  up 
like  jack-knives  in  their  paroxysms  of  delight,  but  between  his 
genial  guffaws  he  was  also  vowing  vengeance. 

"  I  '11  catch  you  and  douse  you  yet,  you  little  Britisher ! " 
he  roared.  And,  "  Eun,  Green,  run !  "  they  all  shouted  to  me. 
"  He  means  what  he  says." 

"  Eun  for  the  house  and  the  Green  Moreen  Chamber,"  called 
Irving,  and  then,  realizing  perhaps,  that  I  did  not  know  where 
to  find  the  Green  Moreen  Chamber,  he  sprang  to  my  side,  run 
ning  neck  and  neck  with  me  straight  for  the  house,  with  the 
whole  pack  after  us  in  full  cry. 

We  were  a  well-matched  team  and  it  was  soon  evident  we 
could  easily  outrun  the  others,  but  we  did  not  slacken  our  pace 
until  we  had  reached  the  house,  dashed  up  the  stairs,  and  found 
ourselves  behind  the  bolted  door  of  the  Green  Moreen  Chamber. 


THE  GREEN  MOREEN  CHAMBER  137 

Then  Irving  dropped  on  to  the  floor  and  rolled  over  and  over, 
kicking  his  heels  in  the  very  ecstacies  of  mirth,  and  I  sat  down 
on  the  side  of  one  of  the  two  beds  and  grinned. 

As  we  were  dashing  into  the  house  we  had  nearly  run  against 
and  knocked  over  an  old  man  and  woman,  the  man  grinning 
in  sympathy  with  our  frolic,  the  woman  making  frantic  ges 
tures  and  calling  something  to  us  as  we  passed. 

"  Who  were  they  ?  "  I  asked  Jonathan  when  our  first  trans 
ports  had  subsided. 

"  It  was  Mammy  and  Daddy  Jacobs,  the  old  couple  who  live 
here  and  take  care  of  the  place,"  he  answered,  "  and  they,  with 
the  negro  boy  Pompey,  who  took  our  horses,  form  the  whole 
establishment.  You  must  not  expect  much  service  at  Cock 
loft  Hall." 

"  I  am  better  content  without  in  a  delightful  bachelor's  den 
like  this,"  I  answered.  "  It 's  the  best  I  have  ever  known. 
It 's  the  real  thing  —  absolute  freedom." 

"  Absolute  license  might  express  it  better.  I  wonder  some 
times  we  don't  shock  poor  old  Mammy  Jacobs  into  her  grave. 
Daddy  seems  to  enjoy  it." 

"  What  was  it  the  old  woman  was  calling  to  us  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  think,  probably,  she  was  trying  to  tell  us  supper  was 
ready,  to  stop  our  fooling  and  come  down." 

"  That  sounds  good  to  me,"  I  said.  "  I  will  get  ready  im 
mediately,"  and  sprang  up  with  alacrity  to  put  my  word  in 
action,  when  it  occurred  to  us  both  at  the  same  moment  to 
wonder  what  had  become  of  our  pursuers.  Irving  went  to  the 
window  to  reconnoiter  and  called  to  me  to  come  quick  and 
look.  Under  a  spreading  oak  not  far  from  the  house  the  six 
were  seated  in  solemn  conclave.  As  they  discovered  us  look 
ing  out,  the  Patroon  arose,  waved  a  flag  of  truce  and  coming 
up  under  our  window  announced  that  since  supper  was  ready, 
or  rather,  as  Mammy  Jacobs  said  "  spoiling,"  an  armistice  had 
been  agreed  upon,  but  that  after  supper  the  Knight  of  the 
Green  Moreen  would  be  tried  in  the  Octagon  on  a  charge, 
preferred  against  him  by  the  Supercargo,  of  assault  with  in 
tent  to  kill.  Fifteen  minutes  would  be  allowed  for  a  supper 


138  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

toilet,  and  at  the  beating  of  the  gong  the  Patroon  would  ex 
pect  his  guests  to  present  themselves  in  the  Chinese  Eoom. 
He  would  like  to  know  if  these  terms  were  acceptable  to  the 
Knight  of  the  Green  Moreen. 

"  Perfectly  so/'  he  was  assured,  particularly  the  last  one,  for 
the  Knight  of  the  Green  Moreen  was  beginning  to  feel  himself 
a  famished  night  of  the  Eueful  Countenance. 

When,  fifteen  minutes  later,  we  were  all  assembled  in  the 
Chinese  Eoom,  I  was  astonished  to  find  as  orderly  and  cour 
teous  a  set  of  young  gentlemen  as  might  be  found  at  any  lady's 
dinner  party.  Nor  did  they  grow  wildly  hilarious  at  the  sup 
per  table,  which  I  thought  the  most  delicious  meal  and  the 
oddest  I  had  ever  sat  down  to.  There  were  young  chickens 
cooked  in  a  most  wonderful  manner  with  a  rich  brown  gravy 
poured  over  them  and  served  with  a  flat  cake  —  a  "  fritter  "- 
made  of  the  grated  green  corn  —  whole  ears  of  which  I  had 
found  on  every  dinner  table  since  my  landing,  to  be  eaten  from 
the  cob  in  a  most  outlandish  fashion,  but  I  must  confess  most 
toothsome  to  the  taste.  Then  there  were  wonderful  little 
scones,  white  as  snow  and  light  as  feathers,  and  served  so  hot 
that  the  butter  melted  as  it  touched  them;  and  a  dish  they 
called  "  creamed  potatoes "  that  transformed  that  common 
place  vegetable  into  food  fit  for  the  gods.  Then  there  was 
wonderful  coffee,  so  clear  an  amber  until  the  rich  cream  turned 
it  a  golden  brown,  so  excellent  for  strength,  so  exquisite  for 
flavor  as  I  had  not  conceived  coffee  could  be,  and  served  in  big 
breakfast-cups  which  were  yet  too  small  to  satisfy  the  appetite 
for  such  Olympian  nectar.  And  for  the  sweets  after  the  meal, 
there  were  luscious  peaches  cut  up  and  swimming  in  golden 
cream,  and  cake  of  a  rich  and  toothsome  quality.  There  was 
no  wine  served  at  table  but,  perhaps,  because  I  had  had  but 
little  dinner  and  much  violent  exercise,  no  meal  I  had  ever  sat 
down  to  had  seemed  quite  so  satisfying. 

Somewhat  to  my  surprise,  also,  after  what  Irving  had  told 
me  of  the  menage,  it  was  served  in  a  most  orderly  and  comme 
il  faut  fashion.  The  old  man,  Jacobs,  and  the  young  negro 
Pompey  acted  as  butler  and  footman,,  and  though  there  was 


THE  GREEN  MOREEN  CHAMBER  139 

much  gay  talk  and  much  laughter  over  the  Supercargo's  bath 
and  my  ride  on  his  shoulders,  it  was  all  very  decorus  and  sea 
soned  with  the  sparkle  of  wit  and  epigram. 

When  I  had  a  chance  to  say  to  Mr.  Irving  that  I  was  not 
prepared  for  such  orderly  state  at  table  after  the  violence  of 
the  hilarity  preceding  it,  he  told  me  the  Patroon  would  have 
it  so.  Freedom  to  the  verge  of  license  everywhere  else,  but 
at  table  each  man  must  remember  his  breeding  or  he  could 
not  remain  a  guest  at  Cockloft  Hall. 

The  after-glow  of  the  sunset,  soft  and  rosy,  had  been  in  the 
sky  when  we  sat  down  to  supper  and  the  long  windows  of  the 
dining-room  open  to  the  west  had  given  us  a  view  of  it,  and 
of  the  heavily-laden  orchards  on  the  slopes  of  the  hill  and  the 
gleam  of  lake  and  river  between  the  trees.  They  had  also 
given  entrance  to  a  soft  evening  breeze,  very  grateful  after  the 
heat  of  the  day.  The  candles  were  lighted  when  we  sat 
down  but  there  had  been  enough  of  daylight  to  dim  their 
radiance.  By  the  time  the  after-glow  had  faded  and  the  candles 
were  burning  their  best,  the  moon  that  had  been  a  slender 
crescent  on  the  night  of  the  dinner  at  the  Grange  was  hanging 
like  a  silver  lantern  over  the  top  of  the  tallest  tree  in  the 
orchard,  and  though  it  was  still  a  concave  moon  it  could  no 
longer  be  called  a  crescent,  and  it  was  shedding  an  inviting 
luster  on  the  black  mass  of  foliage  below  it. 

The  Patroon  rose  in  his  place.  "Wine  and  cigars  in  the 
Octagon,  gentlemen,  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  and  afterward 
the  trial  by  jury,"  he  said,  and  led  the  way  out  by  the  long 
windows  to  a  porch  at  the  rear,  and  from  thence  through  the 
orchard  to  an  octagon-shaped  kiosk  or  summer  house  standing 
on  an  eminence  between  the  shores  of  the  little  lake  on  one 
side  and  the  gently  flowing  waters  of  the  Passaic  on  the  other. 

My  attention  had  been  too  entirely  concentrated  on  my  ef 
forts  to  save  myself  a  ducking  when  I  had  visited  the  lake 
shore  before  supper  to  notice  the  Octagon.  I  thought  now  it 
looked  very  fair  and  lovely  in  the  moonlight,  graceful  in  shape 
and  built  of  finely  carved  stone,  its  broken  image  reflected  in  the 
shimmering  waters  of  the  little  lake  at  its  foot.  It  was  even 


140 

more  attractive  on  the  inside  than  from  the  outside.  Wide 
windows  filled  each  of  the  sides  looking  toward  the  lake  of  the 
one  large  room  in  the  interior,  with  mahogany  window-seats 
built  in  below  them,  piled  high  with  cushions.  Some,  at  least, 
of  these  window-seats  served  also  for  lockers,  for  I  saw  our  host 
open  one  and  take  out  cushions  and  a  rug  to  make  one  of  the 
seats  more  comfortable.  There  were  a  few  easy  chairs  and 
mahogany  stands  holding  glasses  and  smoking  implements  scat 
tered  about  the  room,  which  was  lighted  only  by  a  dim  lantern 
suspended  from  the  apex  of  the  vaulted  roof  and  by  the  pale 
moonlight  on  the  outside.  The  Passaic  was  a  tidal  river  and 
the  tide  being  now  near  the  flood  and  pouring  through  a  sluice 
just  below  my  window  into  the  little  lake  filled  my  ears  with 
the  pleasant  sound  of  rushing  waters. 

To  my  surprise  I  had  hardly  taken  my  seat  when  young 
Ogden  came  over  and  sat  down  beside  me.  I  certainly  bore 
him  no  ill  will  for  our  little  escapade  of  the  afternoon,  but 
I  had  hardly  expected  him  to  bear  me  so  much  good  will  as 
to  seek  me  out. 

"  Green,"  he  began  at  once,  "  I  want  to  acknowledge  my 
self  vanquished  in  a  fair  fight  and  shake  hands  on  it.  I  don't 
like  to  be  beaten,  and  especially  by  a  little  fellow  of  half  my 
weight,  but  I  can't  help  admiring  your  pluck  and  spirit." 

"  It 's  generous  of  you  to  say  so,"  I  answered,  giving  him 
my  hand. 

"  Yes,  I  think  it  is,  rather,"  he  grinned ;  "  it 's  usually  the 
victor  who  can  afford  to  be  generous  and  not  the  vanquished 
But  I  want  to  say  something  else.  I  acknowledge  I  've  been 
whipped  but  you  know  this  is  not  the  end  of  it.  Xow  if  you 
lose  out  in  the  trial,  if  you  are  condemned,  I  don't  want  you 
to  think  that  I  have  anything  to  do  with  it  and  lay  it  up 
against  me.  I  shall  be  as  helpless  as  you  —  it  all  lies  with 
the  judge  and  jury." 

"  All  right,"  I  laughed.  "  I  '11  owe  you  no  grudge  however 
it  turns  out.  And  even  if  I  should  be  condemned  I  don't  sup 
pose  the  sentence  will  be  anything  very  dreadful." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that."     He  shook  his  head  ominously 


141 

"  But  anyhow  you  have  the  true  spirit  of  sport  and  I  like  you ; 
a  thing  I  never  expected  to  say  of  any  Briton."  And  with 
that  he  threw  his  arm  over  my  shoulder  and  began  to  chaff 
me  about  my  size  and  "  pluck,"  as  he  called  it,  in  so  good- 
natured  a  way  that  I  very  soon  shook  off  my  awkwardness  at 
being  treated  so  affectionately  and  began  also  to  discover  a  real 
liking  for  my  big  adversary. 

While  we  had  been  talking  I  had  seen  our  host  open  a  door 
in  the  floor  and  descend  to  a  subterranean  cellar.  He  re 
turned  now  laden  with  cobwebby  bottles,  and,  while  the  moon 
still  flooded  the  room,  for  half  an  hour  we  smoked  and  drank 
some  fine  old  wine  and  told  or  listened  to  some  very  good 
stories  (Irving,  Kemble  and  Paulding  were  the  story-tellers), 
with  as  much  decorum  as  our  dignified  elders  might  have 
done.  Then  as  the  moon  sank  behind  the  hill  and  the  room 
darkened,  Kemble  called  on  Ogden  to  help  him,  and  lighting 
the  candles  in  sconces  around  the  walls  until  the  room  was  a 
blaze  of  light  he  summoned  the  court  to  assemble  and  my  trial 
began. 

Now  I  have  listened  to  many  trials  since.  I  have  rather  a 
fondness  for  that  sort  of  thing,  but  I  have  sometimes  thought 
that  never  have  I  listened  to  keener  pleading,  sharper  cross- 
questioning  of  witnesses  (of  whom  dozens  were  called,  the 
Supercargo,  Ooromdates  and  Sinbad  answering  each  to  a  dozen 
different  names  in  turn),  nor  have  I  often  listened  to  a  sen 
tence  more  learnedly  or  impressively  pronounced  than  was  Judge 
Kemble's  that  night.  As  prisoner  I  was  allowed  to  make  a 
plea  for  myself,  and  the  judge,  in  referring  to  it,  was  kind 
enough  to  call  it  "  most  eloquent,  most  impassioned,  and  most 
persuasive."  But  it  was  the  speeches  of  the  two  learned  coun 
sel,  Mr.  Irving,  for  the  defense,  and  Mr.  Paulding,  for  the 
prosecution,  that  were  the  great  efforts  of  the  evening.  Mr. 
Irving's  speech,  in  particular,  glittered  with  imagery,  sparkled 
with  wit,  and  blazed  with  eloquence,  but  all  to  no  effect.  The 
solemn  jury,  "  twelve  able-bodied,  fair-minded  citizens,"  the 
judge  called  them  (represented  in  the  person  of  the  Doctor), 
returned  a  unanimous  verdict  after  retiring  five  minutes  for 


142  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

consultation  with  itself,  of  "  Guilty  of  felonious  assault  with 
intent  to  kill/'  and  recommending  the  prisoner  to  "  Justice 
without  mercy." 

I  was  quite  sure  what  my  sentence  would  be.  I  knew  what 
I  would  have  made  it,  had  I  been  judge.  I  was  quite  pre 
pared,  therefore,  to  hear  it  delivered  in  blood-curdling  tones: 
"  To  be  ducked  three  times  in  his  night  garments  in  the  same 
lake  into  which  he  had  artfully  and  wickedly  caused  the  Super 
cargo  to  plunge." 

And  then,  less  solemnly: — 

"  Owing,  however,  to  the  youth  and  condition  of  the  pris 
oner,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  the  Court  is  inclined  to  ex 
ercise  some  leniency  and  will  therefore  impose  certain  condi 
tions  which  the  prisoner  may  be  able  to  turn  to  his  advantage. 
The  execution  of  this  sentence  is  limited  to  the  hours  between 
midnight  and  sunrise.  Should  the  officers  entrusted  with 
its  execution  not  be  able  to  find  the  prisoner  between  those 
hours,  or  should  he  offer  such  resistance  when  they  came  to 
arrest  him  in  bed  in  the  Green  Moreen  Chamber  as  to  prevent 
their  putting  the  sentence  into  execution  between  the  afore 
said  hours,  then  the  prisoner,  under  the  rules  of  the  Ancient 
and  Honorable  Order  of  Cocks  of  the  Loft,  should  go  Scot- 
free." 

"  And  now,  gentlemen,"  the  judge  rose  to  his  feet  as  he  spoke, 
his  flowing  robes  of  office  (a  red  damask  curtain  from  one  of 
the  windows),  and  his  full-bottomed  wig  (a  sheepskin  mat 
from  the  floor),  lending  him  great  majesty  of  appearance  and 
making  him,  indeed,  truly  awful  to  look  upon,  so  that  the 
prisoner  quaked  in  his  shoes  before  him ;  "  gentlemen,  the  hour 
is  ten  minutes  before  eleven;  by  midnight  the  prisoner  is  ex 
pected  to  be  sound  asleep  in  his  bed  in  the  Green  Moreen 
Chamber  and  fully  arrayed  for  bed  in  night  garments  only. 
I  adjourn  this  court  s-ine  die  and  at  once  that  we  may  snatch 
a  few  minutes  of  much  needed  repose  in  preparation  for  the 
arduous  duties  that  no  doubt  await  us  between  the  hours  of 
midnight  and  sunrise." 

We  walked  up  to  the  house  very  amicably;  I  between  Kemble, 


THE  GREEN  MOREEN  CHAMBER  143 

the  judge,  and  Irving,  my  counsel.  Two  of  our  number  were 
carrying  lanterns,  for  now  that  the  moon  was  down  it  was  pitch 
black  under  the  trees  of  the  orchard. 

"  This  is  the  end  of  it,  I  suppose,"  I  said,  speaking  carelessly, 
or  trying  to,  as  if  I  felt  no  doubt  of  it.  "  The  sentence,  of 
course,  was  a  joke." 

"  Not  at  all,"  spoke  Kemble  and  Irving  in  a  breath,  and 
the  Patroon  went  on  to  say  in  his  gravely  courteous  fashion: 

"  My  dear  Sir  Lionel,  there  is  no  joke  about  it.  I  hope  you 
can  swim,  for  in  all  human  probability  you  will  have  at  least 
three  opportunities  to  practice  your  stroke  before  morning." 

Now  old  Captain  Joshua  of  The  Flying  Fish  at  Clover 
Combe  always  said  no  sea  gull  could  be  more  at  home  on  the 
water  than  I,  but  I  did  not  think  it  a  good  time  to  boast  of 
my  powers  in  that  direction. 

"  And  suppose  I  cannot  swim  ?  "  I  asked  gravely.  "  Do  you 
really  propose  to  throw  a  helpless  man  into  the  water  ?  " 

"We  certainly  do  not  propose  to  drown  you,  Sir  Lionel," 
with  a  smile,  revealed  not  so  much  by  the  uncertain  light  of 
the  lanterns  as  by  his  tones.  "  If  you  can't  swim,  perhaps  you 
can  wade,  and  I  '11  advise  the  boys  to  throw  you  in  where  the 
water  is  shallow." 

"  Where  you  threw  me  in  this  afternoon,"  called  Mr.  Ogden 
from  just  behind  us,  who  had  been  listening  to  us. 

"  Thank  you !  But  —  don't  you  first  have  to  catch  your 
hare?" 

"  Oh !  of  course,  but  he  's  as  good  as  caught  already." 

"  You  mean  he  does  n't  stand  much  chance  in  defending  him 
self,  one  against  seven  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  hope  he  won't  try  it.  He  '11  come  off  much 
better  by  simply  yielding." 

"  That  may  be  good  Yankee  philosophy  but  it 's  not  British. 
Fight  or  flee,  but  never  yield.  Suppose  I  run  away?" 

"  You  '11  be  caught.  Remember  the  rules  are  that  you  are  to 
stay  in  bed  until  the  first  stroke  of  twelve." 

"  I  '11  remember.  What  happens  on  the  first  stroke  of 
twelve  ?  " 


144  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  You  '11  see/'  said  Ogden  chuckling,  and  then  the  Patroon 
interposed : 

"  But  remember,  Supercargo,  it  is  only  between  midnight  and 
sunrise.  From  the  moment  the  first  beam  touches  the  gilt  deer 
on  top  of  the  Octagon,  Sir  Lionel  is  a  free  man." 

"And  Patroon,"  returned  Mr.  Ogden,  "please  tell  Sir  Lionel 
that  my  ducking  this  afternoon  has  really  nothing  at  all  to  do 
with  his  ducking  to-night;  that  he  could  not  have  escaped  it 
even  had  there  been  no  leap-frog  this  afternoon." 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  said  the  Patroon  gravely,  "  it  is  a  law  of  our 
Order  that  the  first  night  that  anyone  sleeps  in  the  Green 
Moreen  Chamber  he  must  be  taken  out  and  ducked  three  times 
in  the  lake.  It  is  a  law  of  the  Medes  and  the  Persians  and 
changeth  not;  winter  or  summer,  seed  time  or  harvest,  the 
man  who  sleeps  there  for  the  first  time  is  doomed." 

A  ray  from  the  lantern  illuminated  strongly  at  that  moment 
the  face  of  young  Irving,  and  my  own  as  well,  I  suppose,  for  as 
I  glanced  at  him  reproachfully  he  colored  and  turned  away, 
tried  to  say  something  and  broke  down  stammering;  or  could 
it  have  been  he  was  laughing? 

"  Et  tu  Brute ! "  I  muttered  between  my  teeth  for  his  ear 
only,  "  is  this  why  you  advised  putting  me  in  the  Green  Moreen 
Chamber?" 

He  heard  me  and  murmured  in  reply : 

"I  loved  not  Cffisar  less  but  the  traditions  of  our  Order 
more.  The  Lads  of  Kilkenny  must  have  their  sport." 

"  At  my  expense !  I  will  remember  it  some  day  when  you 
come  to  Clover  Combe  Court.  You  shall  sleep  in  a  Green 
Moreen  Chamber  and  may  the  gods  hasten  your  coming !  " 


XIII 

IN   THE   OCTAGON   KIOSK 

IT  was  less  than  an  hour  we  had  for  sleep,  but  there  was  no 
thought  of  sleep  with  either  of  us  as  we  lay  in  bed  talking, 
in  the  genial  strain  that  I  had  already  discovered  Mr.  Irving 
was  sure  to  give  to  any  conversation  in  which  he  had  a  part. 
We  were  waiting  for  that  stroke  of  twelve  when  Mr.  Ogden 
had  said  I  would  see  what  would  happen,  and  in  waiting  we 
were  running  up  and  down  a  long  and  varied  gamut  of  topics. 

Now  it  would  hardly  be  possible  that  a  family  who  had 
dwelt  for  so  many  hundreds  of  years,  as  mine  had  dwelt,  on 
the  very  borders  of  Wales,  could  escape  a  strain  of  Welsh  blood. 
Mine  had  not  escaped.  A  beautiful  Glengower  had  brought  into 
the  family,  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  before,  along  with  her  Welsh 
beauty  some  Welsh  characteristics,  so  marked  and  of  such  per 
sistent  quality  that  one  or  more  of  the  Welsh  traits  had  cropped 
out  in  each  succeeding  generation.  My  aunt,  who  had  more 
of  the  Welsh  blood  than  I,  and  of  which  she  was  justly  proud, 
always  insisted  that  I  had  several  marked  characteristics  of  the 
race,  and  one  of  them  was  a  peculiar  tendency  at  any  moment, 
when  it  might  be  least  expected  or  most  inopportune,  to  hark 
back  to  the  past.  I  might  be  in  the  midst  of  the  most  stirring 
adventure  —  the  present  would  slip  from  me  and  I  would  be 
dwelling  mournfully  or  tenderly  on  scenes  of  my  childhood  or 
earlier  youth. 

Now  as  we  lay  in  our  beds  talking  across  to  each  other  in 
the  dark,  gayly  and  boisterously,  almost,  of  the  adventures  of 
the  afternoon  and  evening,  suddenly,  without  warning  of  any 
kind,  I  was  in  memory  racing  through  the  sweet  Devonshire 
lanes  with  Eosie  Dufour;  I  on  Black  Tom  and  she  on  Snow- 
flake,  our  two  ponies  that  we  regarded  as  the  most  spirited 
10  145 


146  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

and  gallant  steeds  in  the  world,  and  of  whose  virtues  we  each 
vaunted  boastingly  to  the  other.  Snowflake  was  the  swifter  of 
foot  but  Black  Tom  could  take  a  ditch  or  a  hurdle  or  even 
a  low  hedge  without  flinching,  and  not  the  M.  F.  H.  himself  — 
who  happened  to  be  my  father  —  was  prouder  of  his  mount 
than  I  of  my  black  hunter,  as  I  called  him. 

"  I  will  race  you  and  beat  you,  Lion,"  Eosie  called  back 
defiantly  to  me.  She  was  already  well  in  the  lead,  her  red  curls 
floating  behind  her  and  her  saucy  freckled  face  turned  toward 
me  with  that  triumphant  glow  in  the  brown  eyes  I  never  could 
stand. 

"  I  '11  race  you  down  Clover  Lane !  "  I  shouted  in  return. 

Now  there  were  at  least  two  ugly  ditches  in  Clover  Lane 
where  the  men  were  at  work  draining  the  south  meadows,  and 
Eosie  was  afraid  of  the  ditches  and  I  knew  it. 

"  No ;  I  don't  like  Clover  Lane,"  pouted  Eosie ;  "  I  'm  going  up 
the  Combe  Moor  Eoad." 

"  Ha !  You  're  afraid !  "  I  taunted,  and  then  I  saw  the  little 
freckled  face  turn  pale  under  the  freckles  and  the  brown  eyes 
grow  somber. 

"  I  'm  afraid  of  nothing,  Lion  Marchmont !  You  can't  lead 
anywhere  I  will  not  follow  !  " 

Bravado  was  in  the  defiant  tone,  but  a  little  quaver  on  the 
last  word  betrayed  her. 

I  relented  for  a  moment,  but  the  domineering  spirit  natural 
to  a  young  male  prevailed. 

"  Come  on,  then,  we  '11  see,  Miss  Great-heart !  "  I  called  with 
a  sneer,  and  wheeled  Black  Tom. 

I  was  in  the  lead  then,  for  we  had  been  headed  for  the 
Combe  Moor  Eoad,  and  Clover  Lane  lay  quite  in  the  opposite 
direction.  I  did  not  look  back  and  I  spurred  Black  Tom  to 
his  utmost  for  I  heard  Snowflake's  hoofs  gaining  on  us.  She 
passed  us  not  a  dozen  lengths  before  we  reached  the  first  ditch, 
and  as  she  flashed  by  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  Eosie's  white  face, 
and  terror  seized  me  for  her  terror. 

"Stop,  Eosie!"  I  shouted;  "Snowflake's  sure  to  balk." 

But  Eosie  only  shook  her  head  and  in  a  moment  I  saw  her 


IX  THE  OCTAGON  KIOSK  147 

put  Snowflake  at  the  ditch,  and  Snowflake  refuse  at  first,  but 
at  the  touch  of  Eosie's  whip  and  the  lift  of  her  bridle  make  a 
half-hearted  attempt  which  resulted,  as  all  half-hearted  at 
tempts  are  sure  to  result  —  in  failure. 

Over  went  pony  and  rider  into  the  ditch.  Dismay,  terror, 
a  horrible  fear  clutched  at  my  heart  as  I  sprang  from  Black 
Tom  and  leaped  down  into  the  ditch,  at  the  bottom  of  which 
lay  Eosie,  white  as  death,  and  dead  I  verily  believed. 

I  was  only  a  little  boy,  not  more  than  eight  or  nine,  and 
small  for  my  age.  And  though  Eosie  was  little  more  than  a 
baby,  six  or  seven,  I  suppose,  she  was  a  big  load  for  my  small 
arms,  though  my  sturdy  legs  pulled  us  safely  up  the  steep  sides 
of  the  ditch,  gasping  for  breath  and  uttering  shrill  cries  for 
help  between  my  gasps. 

At  my  cries  the  men  came  running  from  their  work  in  the 
meadow  and  carried  Eosie  into  one  of  the  cottages  not  far 
away,  where  it  was  soon  discovered  no  bones  were  broken  and 
that  she  was  only  stunned  by  her  fall.  And  Snowflake,  having 
scrambled  out  of  the  ditch  herself,  also  unhurt,  and  waiting 
patiently  for  her  mistress  at  the  cottager's  door,  we  soon  had 
Eosie  on  her  back  and  jogging  slowly  homewards. 

With  my  arm  through  Black  Tom's  bridle  and  clutching 
Snowflake's  near  the  bit,  I  walked  by  Eosie's  side,  a  very  pen 
itent  and  very  much  awed  little  boy,  for  I  had  never  seen  any 
one  in  a  faint  before  and  I  could  not  forget  how  I  had  thought 
her  dead,  nor  could  I  forget  that  my  taunts  had  driven  her 
to  dare  the  leap  we  both  knew  Snowflake  could  not  make. 
Where  the  lane  sank  into  cool  shadow  overhung  by  high  hedges 
in  full  and  fragrant  bloom,  I  brought  Snowflake  to  a  stand 
still,  and  looking  up  at  Eosie  with  a  beating  heart  and  a 
shamed  face  whose  hot  flushes  I  can  still  feel,  I  begged  her  to 
kiss  me  and  forgive  me  for  being  so  rude  —  which  she  did  very 
sweetly,  with  a  rosy  face  and  just  the  least  little  flicker,  quickly 
gone,  of  that  triumphant  glow  in  the  brown  eyes  that  I  did 
not  like. 

Now  why  all  this  should  have  flashed  into  my  mind  as  I  lay 
in  bed  talking  to  Irving  of  the  ducking  I  had  given  young 


148  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Ogden,  while  I  waited  nervously  for  the  stroke  of  twelve,  I  do 
not  know,  except  that,  according  to  my  aunt,  it  was  my  Welsh 
inheritance  to  have  the  past  flash  in  on  the  totally  unrelated 
present. 

It  only  required  a  half  dozen  seconds  for  memory  to  put  the 
whole  scene  vividly  before  me,  and  in  a  very  few  minutes  with 
the  garrulousness  of  youth  I  had  told  it  all  to  Irving.  I  had 
already  discovered  that  he  was  keen  for  any  hint  of  romance 
and  I  need  not  have  been  surprised  at  the  way  he  took  my 
little  tale. 

"  By  Jove,  man ! "  he  exclaimed  as  I  finished  my  recital ; 
"  what  has  become  of  that  Rosie  Duf our  ?  You  ought  to  marry 
her  some  day  to  make  a  fitting  sequel  to  the  romance." 

"  Marry  a  freckled-face,  red-headed  baby !  "  I  answered  con 
temptuously.  "  My  wife  must  be  beautiful  if  I  ever  have  one." 

"  She 's  not  a  baby  still,  I  suppose,"  he  retorted,  "  and  if 
you  have  n't  seen  her  lately  she  may  be  as  beautiful  as  Made 
moiselle  Desloge  for  all  you  know.  I  've  no  doubt  Miss  Desloge 
was  a  red-headed  little  girl  herself  ten  years  ago."  Then  he 
added  quite  seriously: 

"  I  Ve  been  in  love  with  half  a  dozen  beautiful  young  women 
and  probably  will  be  with  half  a  dozen  more,  but  if  ever  I 
marry  I  believe  it  will  be  a  little  girl  not  yet  thirteen,  the 
sister  of  one  of  my  friends  and  the  sweetest  child  the  sun  ever 
shone  on." 

He  spoke  so  earnestly  he  roused  my  interest,  and  I  would 
have  liked  to  make  him  talk  more  of  the  child,  for  whatever 
he  said  always  sounded  to  me  like  a  story  from  a  book,  but 
before  either  of  us  could  utter  another  word,  from  a  tall  old 
clock  on  the  stair  landing  near  our  door  there  came  a  deep 
bell-like  sound. 

It  was  the  first  stroke  of  twelve  and  promptly  at  the  first 
stroke,  I  saw,  as  Mr.  Ogden  had  said  I  would.  I  was  in  bed, 
according  to  order,  and  also,  according  to  order,  fully  unclad, 
wearing  only  my  night  garments.  But  I  had  placed  my  boots 
conveniently  beside  my  bed,  and  also  beside  my  bed  a  Chinese 
dressing  robe  of  flowered  and  embroidered  silk,  belonging, 


IN  THE  OCTAGON  KIOSK  149 

young  Irving  said,  to  the  Patroon,  and  which  I  found  hanging 
up  in  a  wardrobe  in  the  room. 

The  Green  Moreen  Chamber  was  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  house.  One  of  its  windows  gave  on  to  the  roof  of  the 
dining-room,  and  over  this  roof  hung  the  limbs  of  a  great 
cherry  tree.  I  had  noticed  this  tree  by  daylight  and  wondered 
whether  it  would  not  be  an  easy  feat  to  leap  from  the  roof 
into  the  heart  of  it,  and  I  had  come  very  near  inquiring  of  the 
Patroon  whether  it  had  ever  been  done,  and  asking  his  per 
mission  to  try  it  sometime.  I  was  glad  now  that  I  had  not 
spoken. 

It  seemed  that,  according  to  the  rules  of  the  game,  Irving 
was  allowed  to  take  no  active  part  in  helping  me,  neither  was 
he  required  to  take  part  against  me,  and  I  was  quite  sure  that 
I  could  count  at  least  on  a  friendly  silence  from  him.  Promptly 
at  the  first  stroke  of  twelve  there  was  a  tremendous  thundering 
at  the  door,  accompanied  by  demands  to  open  it.  I  listened  for 
a  moment.  I  could  detect  but  the  voices  of  four  men  at  the 
door,  most  likely  the  other  two  were  on  guard  outside  should 
I  attempt  to  escape  by  the  window.  I  sprang  from  bed,  seized 
my  boots  and  the  dressing  gown  in  one  hand,  and  with  a  whis 
pered  request  to  Irving  not  to  open  to  them  for  five  minutes,  I 
ran  to  the  window.  But  at  the  sill  I  paused  for  a  moment  and 
turned  back  to  whisper  once  more  in  Irving's  ear  not  to  be  wor 
ried  if  he  saw  or  heard  nothing  of  me  until  sunrise. 

"  But  let  the  others  worry  all  they  will,"  was  my  parting  in 
junction,  as  I  sprang  through  the  window,  ran  noiselessly  down 
the  steep  roof,  and  made  a  flying  leap  into  the  tree,  which  was 
more  of  a  hazard  than  it  might  have  been  otherwise,  since  the 
tree  was  only  a  dim  shadowy  mass  in  the  darkness,  and  I  could 
not  possibly  tell  where  I  would  land. 

But  my  landing  was  better  than  I  could  have  hoped  for. 
My  feet  struck  a  solid  bough  and  my  right  hand  clutched  some 
overhanging,  branches  and  steadied  me  as  I  alighted,  and  it 
was  only  the  work  of  a  moment  to  clamber  swiftly  down  the 
close-set  branches  to  the  ground.  Moreover,  I  was  in  luck  in 
still  another  particular.  I  had  not  been  wrong  in  deciding  that 


150  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

there  were  only  four  at  the  door  and  two  were  probably  outside, 
and  had  I  delayed  my  escape  a  half  minute  longer  the  crash 
of  my  landing  in  the  tree  must  have  inevitably  been  heard  by 
the  two  who  now  came  running  up  silently  to  watch  for  me 
under  its  branches.  It  had  taken  them  the  two  minutes  I  had 
consumed  in  my  escape,  to  run  down  the  stairs,  get  out  of  the 
house  and  around  it  to  the  cherry  tree  in  the  rear,  and  by  the 
time  they  reached  it  I  was  securely  hidden  behind  a  dense 
clump  of  lilacs  some  twenty  feet  away. 

In  scrambling  down  the  tree  I  had  continued  to  cling  to  my 
dressing  gown  and  boots,  seized  as  I  sprang  from  bed.  Now 
while  Sinbad  and  Supercargo  —  they  were  the  two  who  had 
been  sent  to  guard  the  cherry  tree  —  were  carefully  examining 
each  branch  and  twig  by  the  light  of  the  lanterns  they  carried, 
I  hastily  drew  on  my  boots  and  wrapped  myself  in  the  dressing 
gown.  It  was  of  dark  green  with  flowers  embroidered  in  black 
and  lighter  greens,  nothing  could  be  better  to  cover  my  white 
garments  and  render  me  invisible  against  the  background  of 
trees  and  shrubbery. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  fortunate  for  me,  also,  than 
that  they  stayed  long  enough  under  the  cherry  tree  to  give  me 
a  chance,  by  the  light  of  their  lanterns,  to  map  out  my  route. 
The  other  four  had  come  dovm  from  the  Green  Moreen  Cham 
ber  and  joined  them.  There  were  six  under  the  cherry  tree 
now,  but  only  three  carried  lanterns.  I  could  have  wished  they 
had  all  been  armed  with  them,  then  it  would  have  been  an  easy 
matter  to  keep  out  of  their  way,  but  in  the  meantime,  by  the 
light  of  the  three,  I  was  discovering  the  next  clump  of  bushes 
behind  which  I  might  hide,  and  making  sure  of  the  points  of 
the  compass,  since  I  was  not  familiar  enough  with  the  grounds 
to  know  where  to  find  the  shrubbery,  nor  could  I  be  quite  cer 
tain,  in  the  dark,  which  way  the  orchard  and  the  summer-house 
lay. 

For  my  path  lay  through  the  orchard  to  the  Octagon.  It 
had  come  to  me  in  a  flash,  while  the  Patroon  was  still  pro 
nouncing  my  sentence,  that  in  that  very  spot  I  would  stow 
myself  away  so  comfortably  and  so  securely  that  I  believed  it 


IN  THE  OCTAGON  KIOSK  151 

would  take  a  good  fox-hound  to  nose  me  out.  I  remembered  the 
Patroon  lifting  one  of  those  window  seats  and  disclosing  a 
locker  long  enough  and  deep  enough  for  my  five  feet  nine  to 
curl  up  in  very  comfortably,  and  piled  with  cushions  and  rugs 
that  would  serve  both  for  concealment  and  for  a  luxurious  bed. 

I  think  it  must  have  taken  me  nearly  two  hours  to  make  that 
short  journey  from  the  house  to  the  kiosk.  If  I  had  been 
alone  in  the  wilderness,  with  hostile  savages  bent  on  taking  my 
life,  skulking  behind  every  tree  and  bush,  the  perils  of  my  situ 
ation  could  not  have  seemed  graver  to  me,  nor  I  more  keenly 
alive  to  the  necessity  for  skill,  caution  and  courage  in  escaping 
them.  Later  on  in  my  American  stay  I  had  some  experience 
of  such  perils  with  real  savages,  and  I  think  they  demanded 
no  greater  exercise  of  all  my  faculties  than  did  that  wild  and 
foolish  play  that  night. 

As  I  said  before,  it  would  have  been  easier  if  all  of  those 
who  were  scouring  the  grounds  in  search  of  me  had  carried 
lanterns,  then  I  could  at  least  tell  that  I  was  not  falling  into 
ambush.  But  only  three  carried  lanterns  and  it  was  a  com 
paratively  small  matter  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  their  bobbing 
lights,  but  sometimes,  in  making  a  detour  to  avoid  them  I  was 
stopped  and  turned  to  stone  for  the  moment,  by  a  stealthy 
sound  that  I  knew  must  be  some  living  creature  creeping  on 
me  in  the  dark.  My  only  hope  was  to  remain  absolutely  mo 
tionless  until  the  stealthy  movements  had  passed  on  and  beyond 
me,  knowing  that  it  would  be  only  a  matter  of  good  fortune 
if  they  did  not  stumble  over  me  in  the  blackness. 

In  making  these  detours  to  avoid  the  bobbing  lanterns  I  lost 
my  points  of  the  compass,  and  there  was  no  star  in  the  heavens 
to  guide  me  back  to  them.  Twice  I  found  myself  once  more 
under  the  walls  of  the  house;  once  I  passed  the  stables,  which 
were  in  the  opposite  direction  from  the  kiosk,  and  thought  I 
heard  Saladin  whinnying  as  I  passed.  I  stopped  a  moment 
when  I  heard  the  sound.  What  could  be  better  than  to  get 
hold  of  Saladin !  Once  on  his  back  I  could  scour  the  country 
roads  until  daylight  and  at  sunrise  come  riding  leisurely  up 
to  the  house  with  all  danger  of  a  ducking  well  over. 


152  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

But  two  considerations  deterred  me  from  acting  on  the  sug 
gestion:  one  was  the  difficulty  of  getting  Saladin  out  and  find 
ing  saddle  and  bridle,  or  at  least  bridle,  in  an  unfamiliar  stable 
in  the  dark.  Even  if  the  stable  was  not  locked  and  I  could 
get  into  it,  I  would,  no  doubt,  raise  such  excitement  among  the 
horses  as  to  betray  my  whereabouts.  The  other  consideration 
was  even  more  powerful :  At  this  time  of  year  it  was  daylight 
a  full  hour  before  sunrise  and  I  must  be  galloping  around  the 
country  in  night  clothes  with  a  gorgeous  mandarin  robe  floating 
out  behind  me,  a  spectacle  for  men  and  gods,  the  laughing 
stock  of  every  milk-maid,  the  jeer  of  the  seven  Lads  of  Kil 
kenny  when  I  should  come  riding  up  into  their  midst,  and  a  just 
butt  for  their  ridicule  through  the  rest  of  my  stay  in  America. 

That  settled  it.  I  stole  away  from  the  stables  and  once  more 
started  on  my  devious  course,  my  unprofitable  search  for  a 
phantom  kiosk,  which  I  began  to  believe  existed  only  in  my 
dreams. 

Once  I  nearly  ran  into  the  arms  of  the  big  Ogden.  He  was 
standing  still,  so  that  I  heard  no  sound  to  warn  me  of  his  near 
ness,  but  when  I  was  so  close  to  him  that  I  could  have  touched 
him  with  an  extended  arm,  he  doubtless  heard  my  stealthy 
movements  for  he  called  out:  "Who  goes  there?  Friend  or 
foe  ?"  I  ran  swiftly  back  a  few  steps  and  then  stood  stock 
still,  and  after  calling  again,  "  Who  goes  there  ?  "  he  evidently 
thought  he  had  been  mistaken  and  moved  on  again. 

But  what  worried  me  most  was  that  I  could  not  find  the 
kiosk;  that  I  was  continuously  going  about  in  a  circle.  I  had 
pictured  myself  taking  a  comfortable  nap  in  that  well-cushioned 
locker  while  the  weary  "  Worthies "  were  scouring  field  and 
orchard  for  me,  but  I  began  to  fear  that  I  was  to  be  the  weary 
wanderer  through  the  livelong  night,  only  to  be  caught  at  dawn. 
When  I  had  about  given  up  in  despair  and  was  just  deciding 
that  I  would  sit  down  where  I  was,  that  the  kiosk  was  more 
likely  to  come  to  me  than  I  to  the  kiosk,  my  ear  caught  a 
sound  that  I  recognized.  It  was  the  sound  of  rushing  water. 
The  tide  was  going  out  and  the  water  was  pouring  through  the 
sluice-way  from  the  lake  into  the  river.  The  kiosk  was  not  so 


IN  THE  OCTAGON  KIOSK  153 

far  away  as  I  had  supposed  and  now  I  had  a  sure  guide  to  lead 
me  to  it. 

But  my  troubles  were  not  quite  over.  Just  as  I  had  so  nearly 
reached  it  that  it  was  looming  up  before  me  as  a  dim  and 
shadowy  shape  out  of  the  blackness,  out  of  that  same  blackness 
from  opposite  directions  came  two  bobbing  lanterns.  They  en 
tered  the  Octagon  and  no  doubt  made  a  thorough  search  for 
me  inside.  They  came  out  again  in  a  few  minutes  and  I  was 
congratulating  myself  once  more  on  my  luck  that  they  had 
made  their  search  of  the  Octagon  before  I  had  hidden  in 
it,  and  now,  no  doubt,  it  was  my  safest  hiding  place,  when 
to  my  chagrin,  the  two  seated  themselves  on  the  steps  of 
the  building  with  the  air  of  intending  to  spend  the  rest  of 
the  night  there,  and  began  to  discuss  all  the  possible  and 
impossible  places  in  which  I  could  have  taken  refuge. 

I  was  so  near  to  them  that  I  could  easily  distinguish  every 
word  and  I  almost  laughed  aloud  more  than  once  in  my 
hiding-place  behind  the  trunk  of  an  apple  tree  where  I  heard 
them  recounting  some  of  their  experiences  in  their  night 
search,  and  I  gloated  exceedingly  over  getting  the  better  of 
them,  when  I  heard  one  of  them  say,  "  I  would  not  mind  so 
much,  but  to  be  beaten  by  a  Britisher, —  Billy  Taylor,  we  must 
get  that  fellow  before  sun-up." 

Then  they  fell  to  considering  ways  and  means  again,  I 
growing  momently  more  impatient,  for  I  dared  not  move  from 
behind  my  tree,  since  their  lanterns  gave  sufficient  light  to 
discover  me,  and  should  another  of  the  hunters  happen  to  come 
up  in  my  rear  I  was  certainly  lost. 

I  might  have  fumed  away  for  the  rest  of  the  night  but  for 
a  lucky  chance.  Suddenly  out  of  the  stillness  there  was  an 
excited  roar  from  Ogden  not  very  far  away: 

"  I  've  got  him !     I  've  got  him !  " 

The  two  on  the  steps,  Sinbad  and  Billy  Taylor,  rushed  off 
in  the  direction  of  Ogden's  voice,  and  I  only  waited  long 
enough  to  be  sure  I  was  beyond  the  circle  of  light  from  their 
lanterns  to  make  a  dash  from  behind  my  tree  for  the  kiosk 
steps,  through  its  door,  which  stood  wide  open,  and  straight 


154  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

for  the  nearest  window  seat.  It  proved  to  be  a  locker,  as  I 
had  hoped,  and  it  did  not  take  many  seconds  to  arrange  my 
self  among  the  cushions  in  its  depths,  and  draw  a  rug  over  me 
in  such  fashion  as  to  cover  all  but  my  head  and  to  allow  at  a 
moment's  notice  of  drawing  it  over  my  head,  also,  should  the 
necessity  arise. 

Fortunately,  August  nights  are  cool  and  every  window  and 
door  in  the  kiosk  was  wide  open,  or  I  never  could  have  stood 
my  close  quarters  and  my  rugs  and  pillows.  I  propped  the 
lid  of  the  locker  open  a  little  way  by  inserting  the  corner  of 
a  cushion  near  the  hinges  and  arranging  the  others  for  my 
head  so  as  to  bring  my  nose  close  to  the  opening,  I  decided 
that  I  was  thoroughly  comfortable  and  as  safe  as  I  could 
hope  to  be,  and  there  would  be  no  harm  in  taking  a  little 
nap.  My  ride  from  New  York  through  the  hot  afternoon,  our 
rough  and  tumble  play  before  supper,  the  trial,  and  that  mid 
night  prowl  in  the  dark  with  every  nerve  stretched  to  its 
utmost  tension,  had  left  me  overcome  with  weariness.  I  lis 
tened  for  a  few  minutes  to  the  sound  of  voices  in  the  dis 
tance  which  now  was  a  sound  of  laughter  and  jeers, —  and 
I  thought  I  understood  the  jeers :  that  Ogden  had  caught 
Irving,  who  was  just  my  size,  and  thought  that  it  was  I,  and 
Irving,  with  his  love  of  jest,  had  let  him  think  so.  Listening 
to  the  distant  sounds  and  laughing  to  myself  over  my  explana 
tion  of  them,  they  gradually  grew  dim  and  hazy  to  my  senses, 
and  before  I  knew  it  I  was  fast  asleep. 

I  do  not  know  how  long  I  slept,  I  was  roused  by  voices 
and  footsteps  on  the  kiosk  steps.  Under  the  lifted  lid  of  my 
locker  I  could  distinctly  see  the  chairs  and  tables  in  the  room 
and  the  white  face  of  the  window  opposite.  It  was  daylight 
then,  though  still,  perhaps,  a  long  way  from  sunrise.  I  softly 
drew  in  the  cushion  that  held  up  the  lid  of  my  locker,  and  let 
it  gently  down  in  its  place,  as  the  steps  and  voices  entered  the 
Octagon. 

The  voices  came  to  me  slightly  muffled  since  I  had  dropped 
the  lid,  but  I  could  easily  distinguish  the  words. 


IN  THE  OCTAGON  KIOSK  155 

"Well,  I  for  one  am  dead  tired;  not  a  step  further  will  I 
go.  Where  in  creation  can  the  fellow  be  ?  " 

It  was  Ogden's  voice  and  I  could  hear  him,  as  he  spoke, 
throw  his  great  hulk  heavily  into  a  leathern  chair  that  creaked 
with  his  weight. 

"  I  was  sure  we  would  find  him  when  it  grew  daylight,"  the 
Patroon's  calm  voice  indicated  disappointment  and  some  con 
cern.  "  I  hope  no  harm  has  come  to  him,  but  if  he  is  hidden 
anywhere  about  the  place  I  think,  Lads,  we  will  have  to  confess 
ourselves  outwitted." 

"  Yes,  confound  him !  Seven  against  one,  and  a  Briton  at 
that!  I  would  like  to  kick  myself  and  all  you  fellows,  too." 
Sinbad  spoke  gloomily,  and  my  friend  Irving  laughed. 

"  Cheer  up,  Sinbad ! "  he  urged  genially.  I  believe  he  was 
glad  I  had  escaped,  his  tones  were  so  cheerful.  "  Patroon, 
give  him  a  glass  of  port,  he  needs  inspiriting." 

"  We  all  do ;  wait  a  minute,  Lads,"  and  I  heard  the  cellar 
door  opening,  the  descending  steps  and  a  few  minutes  later 
the  cheerful  clink  of  glasses,  and  wished  with  all  my  heart 
the  sun  would  hurry  up  and  touch  the  gilt  deer  on  top  of  the 
kiosk  (though  how  I  was  to  tell  when  it  did,  I  could  not  see), 
that  I  might  take  my  share  of  their  good  cheer. 

For  fully  fifteen  minutes  there  was  such  a  happy  confusion 
of  voices  that  I  could  only  occasionally  understand  what  they 
were  saying;  and  in  the  meanwhile  I  was  suffocating.  I  was 
compelled  finally  to  lift  the  locker  lid  a  tiny  crack  for  a  breath 
of  air. 

But  out  of  the  confusion  I  heard  presently  very  distinctly 
Sinbad's  voice  in  reply  to  someone: 

"  Yes,  Billy  Taylor  and  I  went  through  every  locker  and 
through  the  wine  cellar  with  lanterns ;  he 's  not  in  here." 

"  How  long  ago  ?  "  asked  Ogden. 

"About  two  hours  ago,  I  should  think." 

"  Plenty  of  time  for  him  to  have  got  in  since." 

"  All  right,  I  '11  look  again  if  you  say  so." 

My  lid  went  softly  down  and  I  drew  the  rug  over  my  head 


156  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

and  put  the  cushions  I  had  been  using  for  pillows  on  top  of 
me.  A  great  slamming  of  lids  with  accompanying  exclama 
tions  announced  the  search.  He  opened  so  many  he  must  have 
come  to  mine  last.  He  threw  the  lid  up  wide  and  prodded 
down  into  a  cushion. 

"  Nothing  here  —  it 's  my  opinion  he  's  gone  back  to  New 
York,"  he  answered. 

I  had  not  dared  to  breathe  as  he  prodded  the  cushion;  now 
I  drew  a  breath  of  relief  and  thought  "  I  am  safe."  Then  a 
horrible  idea  struck  me:  I  had  not  heard  him  put  down  that 
lid.  It  was  still  wide  open  and  the  slightest  movement  on 
my  part  would  certainly  be  discovered  by  some  of  those  sharp- 
eyed  fellows  outside.  I  did  not  even  dare  to  breathe  and  I  was 
suffocating  under  the  rug  and  the  cushions  and,  as  is  natural, 
because  I  did  not  dare  to  move,  I  felt  that  I  must,  or  die.  I 
began  really  to  be  in  agony;  perspiration  was  starting  from 
every  pore,  a  cold  sweat  of  anguish.  I  could  not  have  held 
out  many  minutes  longer,  and  I  was  beginning  to  contemplate 
surrendering  at  last  after  my  long  night  of  struggle  and 
take  my  ducking.  Why  not?  At  this  hour  it  would  be  noth 
ing  more  than  a  morning  plunge  and  the  thought  of  the  cool 
waters  of  the  lake  began  to  seem  infinitely  attractive.  I  believe 
I  would  have  yielded  but  for  the  feeling  that  it  was  the  honor 
of  old  England  that  was  at  stake.  I  must,  for  her  sake,  hold 
on  to  the  end  like  grim  death. 

And  grim  death  I  had  about  concluded  it  was  going  to  be 
when,  like  a  reprieve  at  the  gallows,  Billy  Taylor's  musical  voice 
called  from  the  doorway: 

"  Boys,  the  sun  is  shining  on  the  gilt  deer ! " 

"  It 's  all  up,"  groaned  Ogden.     "  Beaten,  ye  gods !  " 

An  ominous  and  dismal  groan  greeted  his  words. 

I  had  only  waited  to  assure  myself  that  this  was  not  a  ruse 
they  were  playing  on  me,  that  if  I  were  in  hearing  I  might 
discover  myself.  At  the  groan  I  flung  cushions  and  rugs  from 
me  and  wrapping  my  dressing  gown  around  me,  stepped  from 
the  locker. 

"  Good  morning,  gentlemen,"  I  said  coolly. 


IN  THE  OCTAGON  KIOSK  157 

Every  man  sprang  to  his  feet  and  stared  at  me  as  if  lie  took 
me  for  a  ghost. 

"  Patroon,"  I  asked,  as  no  one  spoke,  "  would  you  mind 
offering  me  a  glass  of  your  fine  old  port?  I  've  been  asleep  so 
long  I  need  something  to  wake  me  up." 

"  Done !  "  ejaculated  Ogden,  and  sank  limply  into  a  chair. 
"  He  's  the  only  man  that  ever  slept  in  the  Green  Moreen  Cham 
ber  for  the  first  time  without  getting  a  ducking.  And  he  a 
Britisher!  " 


XIV 

MR.    LA   FORCE   MAKES   AN   INSINUATION 

IF  my  first  night  at  Cockloft  Hall  was  a  night  of  "  storm 
and  stress/'  as  the  German  poets  would  call  it,  nothing 
could  have  been  more  peaceful  than  the  day  that  followed  that 
night,  and  the  evening  that  brought  that  day  to  a  close. 

In  lieu  of  the  ducking  they  were  to  have  given  me,  we  all 
plunged  into  the  salt  waters  of  the  lake  for  a  morning  bath  and 
then  wended  our  way  through  the  orchards  to  the  house,  the 
dew  lying  heavy  on  the  long  grass  and  that  freshness  in  the  air 
that  I  have  often  noted  as  peculiar  to  August  mornings,  as  of 
a  world  just  born  again,  and  that  sets  my  blood  to  tingling  in 
my  finger  tips. 

I  remember  stooping  to  pick  up  a  great  apple  under  a  tree 
whose  boughs  hung  heavy  with  the  golden  globes  and  where  the 
grass  beneath  was  starred  with  them.  Whether  it  was  my  long 
night  of  arduous  adventures,  or  whether  it  was  the  spicy  air  of 
the  August  morning,  or  whether  it  was  the  apple  itself,  I  have 
never  tasted  anything  quite  so  sweet  and  juicy  and  luscious  asi 
that  great  fruit.  A  "pound  sweeting,"  Mr.  Kemble  called  it, 
and  I  thought  it  well  named,  both  for  size  and  quality. 

"  It  was  half-past  five  of  the  morning  and  the  long  shadows 
were  lying  on  the  closely  cropped  turf  between  the  orchard  and 
the  house,  and  a  songbird  was  warbling  a  richer  and  more 
melodious  note  than  I  had  often  heard  so  late  in  the  summer. 
Mr.  Irving  told  me  it  was  the  famous  American  mocking-bird, 
rather  rare  in  so  high  a  latitude,  but  that  a  pair  of  them  made 
their  home  in  the  elms  of  Cockloft  Hall  all  the  year  round. 
From  the  house  came  the  delicious  odor  of  broiling  bacon  and 
steaming  coffee. 

"  Breakfast  in  ten  minutes,  gentlemen !  "  said  the  Patroon, 

158 


MR.  LA  FORCE  MAKES  AN  INSINUATION     159 

and  with  a  whoop  Ogdcn  started  for  the  house  on  a  run,  the 
whole  troop  after  him,  and  I  in  my  flying  silk  robe  stream 
ing  far  out  behind  me,  since  it  was  much  too  long  for  me,  and 
my  short  night  robe  barely  reaching  to  the  scarlet  tops  of  my 
Hessian  riding  boots,  making  a  ridiculous  figure,  no  doubt,  but 
not  the  last  one  to  dash  into  the  house  and  up  the  stairs  to  the 
Green  Moreen  Chamber. 

Nor,  though  I  had  more  of  a  toilet  to  make  than  the  others 
—  who  had  only  their  hair  to  brush  and  tie  and  their  collars 
and  ruffles  to  arrange  —  was  I  the  last  to  present  myself  in 
the  pleasant  dining-room,  with  its  open  windows  looking  out 
into  the  orchard  and  giving  entrance  to  the  sweet  morning  air. 
And,  once  seated  at  the  generous  table,  there  was  no  one  who 
did  more  valiant  trencher  service,  for  I  was  beginning  to  feel 
the  keen  edge  that  change  of  air  and  climate  is  like  to  give  to 
appetite. 

That  was  a  long  day,  and  it  proved  to  be  a  hot  one,  as  Mr. 
Irving  said  these  cool  and  dewy  August  mornings  were  likely 
to  forerun,  and  we  spent  it  in  the  big  Chinese  drawing-room 
with  windows  open  on  three  sides,  talking  quietly  of  many 
things  and  dropping  off  between  our  talks  into  naps  which  we 
took  lying  on  the  luxurious  Oriental  divans.  Our  talk  turned 
often  on  the  duties  that  lay  before  us  on  the  following  day, 
and  each  man  of  the  little  company  was  full  of  instruction  and 
advice  to  me  as  to  how  to  perform  my  office  of  nurse,  and  how 
best  to  safeguard  my  health  in  the  performance.  Nor  did 
Irving  and  Kemble  cease  to  importune  me  to  change  my  mind 
and  to  run  no  such  hazard  as  they  felt  sure  a  stranger  to  their 
climate  must  needs  run  in  exposing  himself  to  the  fever.  I 
may  have  been  foolhardy,  I  think  now  that  I  probably  was, 
and  that  I  might  have  saved  my  friends  much  anxiety  and  my 
self  many  hours  of  suffering  by  listening  to  their  wiser  coun 
sels,  but  I  believed  then  that  I  was  on  the  path  of  duty  and  I 
would  not  yield  to  their  importunities. 

That  evening  after  another  game  of  leap-frog,  followed  by 
another  bounteous  supper,  we  sat  in  the  kiosk  by  moonlight, 
each  man  talking  quietly  to  the  brother  of  his  soul,  as  I  learned 


160  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

•was  their  custom  on  the  eve  of  plunging  into  the  perils  of  the 
fever,  while  we  smoked  and  sipped  our  port.  These  talks  were 
likely  to  drop  into  reminiscences,  and  sometimes  messages  were 
left  for  absent  friends,  for  no  man  felt  sure  what  the  morrow 
would  bring  forth,  since  each  day  numbered  its  tens  and  hun 
dreds  of  new  victims,  many  of  them  friends  and  acquaintances. 
It  reminded  me  of  soldiers  around  the  camp-fire  on  the  eve  of 
battle,  talking  solemnly  to  each  other;  knowing  that  they  would 
never  all  sit  together  around  the  camp-fire  again;  that  they 
would  never  look  more  into  some  of  those  familiar  faces,  and 
that  there  were  voices  sending  messages  to  the  loved  ones  at 
home  that  they  were  listening  to  for  the  last  time  —  and  no 
man  knew  but  that  fate  was  even  then  uttering  to  him  its  sol 
emn  edict  —  Thou  art  the  man ! 

In  one  deep  window  sat  Dick  McCall  and  Harry  Ogden,  in 
another  Peter  Irving  and  Dick  Porter,  in  still  another  the 
courtly  Kemble  and  the  gentle  poet,  John  Paulding,  and  in 
the  deep  embrasure  of  another  young  Mr.  Irving  sat  with  his 
arm  over  my  shoulder. 

"  And  so  you  have  no  last  messages  for  any  fair  ones  ?  "  he 
asked  jestingly,  for  our  talk  had  begun  to  grow  more  somber 
than  either  of  us  liked. 

"  None,"  I  answered. 

"  What !  So  young  and  yet  so  cold  of  heart !  I  wager  those 
gray  eyes  and  those  Hyacinthine  locks  have  done  cruel  exe 
cution  not  once  but  often.  Confess,  Sir  Knight  of  the  Green 
Moreen/' 

"  There  is  no  one,"  I  maintained  stoutly. 

"What  about  the  little  Rosie?" 

"  Tush  !  "  I  exclaimed  impatiently.  Somehow  Rosie  Dufour 
was  always  a  sore  subject  with  me,  perhaps  because  I  remem 
bered  my  father's  expressed  wish. 

"  Well,  then,  Mademoiselle  Desloge  ?  " 

I  was  silent.  I  did  not  like  his  speaking  jestingly  of  any 
lady,  I  said  to  myself. 

Young  Irving  understood  and  flushed. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir  Lionel,"'  he  said  quickly,  "  if  my 


MR.  LA  FORCE  MAKES  AN  INSINUATION     1G1 

jest  seemed  ill  timed.  But  it  was  not  so  much  jest  as  earnest. 
This  is  an  hour  when  we  Lads  of  Kilkenny  are  used  to  speak 
ing  out  our  hearts  to  each  other.  Rosie  Dufour  was  a  jest,  but 
it  seemed  to  me  that  for  Mademoiselle  Desloge,  your  comrade 
at  sea  for  five  weeks,  and  a  very  lovely  lady  indeed,  you  might 
well  have  some  message  of  remembrance  should  the  morrow 
not  bring  you  health  and  safety." 

He  had  divined  the  thought  of  my  heart.  I  had  wished 
much  that  I  might  dare  send  her  some  message  in  case  the 
worst  should  befall.  Therefore  I  thought  a  moment,  and  then 
I  answered  him  soberly: 

"  If  I  should  not  come  out  of  this  venture  in  safety,  I 
would  be  glad  indeed  if  you  would  send  a  message  of  love  and 
farewell  to  my  father  and  my  Aunt  Pamela  at  Clover  Combe 
Court.  And  say  to  Mademoiselle  Desloge  that,  had  the  fates 
permitted,  I  would  have  liked  much  to  have  had  one  more  talk 
with  her,  such  as  I  twice  had  on  the  Sea  Gull.  Tell  her  that 
I  hope  for  her  a  happy  sojourn  in  America  and  a  safe  return  to 
her  friends.  And  that  I  pray  her,  on  the  strength  of  our  brief 
friendship,  to  beware  of  the  fever  and  on  no  account  to  come 
nearer  the  city  than  her  present  quarters." 

"  These  are  messages  I  will  gladly  deliver,"  said  Mr.  Irving 
with  never  a  hint  of  a  jest  in  his  manner,  "  if  the  need  should 
ever  arise,  which  the  gods  forfend ! " 

The  Patroon  and  Billy  Taylor,  arm  in  arm,  crossed  the  room 
to  us  at  this  moment. 

"  Nine  o'clock,  gentlemen,"  said  the  Patroon.  "  And  the 
rules  are  rigid,  you  know,  on  the  night  before  our  return  to 
nursing." 

Then  he  turned  to  me  and  explained  courteously :  "  It  is 
our  rule,  Sir  Lionel,  that  every  man  shall  be  in  bed  by  half-past 
nine  and  sit  down  to  breakfast  at  five  o'clock  the  next  morning. 
At  half-past  five  we  start  for  the  city." 

Every  man  sprang  to  his  feet  at  the  word  of  the  Patroon 
and  half-past  nine  saw  every  man  in  bed.  And  if  I  did  not 
fall  asleep  at  once  it  was  not  because  Mr.  Irving  kept  me  awake 
with  his  talk  as  on  the  night  before.  There  was  profound 


162  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

silence  in  our  room,  and  all  over  the  place.  The  only  sounds 
that  broke  the  stillness  of  the  summer  night  were  the  lonely 
chirpings  of  a  tree  toad  in  the  cherry  tree  by  my  window  (I 
never  heard  a  tree  toad  in  England  shrill  like  that  one)  ;  and 
the  distant  bass  of  a  bull-frog  from  the  marsh  by  the  lake  (his 
hoarse  cry  had  startled  me  well  the  night  before;  we  have  no  such 
trumpeters  among  our  English  frogs) ;  the  strident  and  monot 
onous  reiteration  of  that  strange  insect  that  Irving  had  told 
me  said  "  Katy-did "  and  "  Katy  did  n't "  all  night  long ; 
and  the  mournful  call  of  a  bird  from  the  depths  of  a  woody 
glen  repeating  rapidly  over  and  over,  "  Whip-poor-Will," 
"  Whip-poor- Will,"  according  to  Irving's  interpretation.  It 
seemed  that  the  birds  and  the  insects  talked  in  this  strange  new 
world,  but  I  could  have  wished  they  had  talked  in  less  mourn 
ful  cadences,  for  the  melancholy  refrain  "  Whip-poor- Will/'  be 
gan  to  sound  to  my  excited  ears  like  "Yellow  fever!  Yellow 
fever !  Tell  his  father !  Tell  his  father !  " 

I  am  not  usually  either  nervous  or  apprehensive.  I  believe 
I  must  even  then  have  been  nursing  the  seeds  of  that  dread 
disease  that  five  days  later  laid  me  low,  and  that  it  was  due 
to  them  that  I  lay  tossing  on  my  pillow  a  large  part  of  that 
August  night  and  that  it  seemed  to  me  I  had  only  just  fallen 
asleep  when  Irving  roused  me  with  a  shout  that  it  was  time  to 
be  stirring. 

Certainly  the  next  few  days  have  always  been  a  dream-like 
haze  in  my  memory,  with  but  two  or  three  points  standing  out 
with  sufficient  vividness  to  be  recalled.  One  of  those  points 
was  the  loveliness  of  the  August  morning,  cool,  dew-drenched, 
filled  with  pungent  odors  of  sea  and  shore,  through  which  we 
rode,  a  rather  sober  band  of  young  men,  along  a  road  winding 
from  one  little  village  to  another,  through  green  meadows  and 
richly  laden  orchards,  down  to  the  ferry  of  Paulus  Hook. 

A  second  distinct  memory  is  my  first  glimpse  of  Mr.  Liv 
ingston  as  he  lay  in  a  darkened  upper  chamber,  looking  to  me 
more  like  a  livid,  saffron-colored  corpse  than  like  any  living 
being.  The  heavy  wooden  shutters  at  the  windows  were  barred, 
but  not  so  closely  but  that  they  admitted  sufficient  rays  of 


MR.  LA  FORCE  MAKES  AN  INSINUATION      163 

the  morning  sun,  to  show  the  deathlike  figure  quite  distinctly 
on  its  shrouded  hed,  and  at  the  first  glance,  I  had  to  turn 
hastily  to  the  window  for  a  breath  of  air  to  relieve  the  sud 
den  sense  of  faintness  that  came  near  unmanning  me  at  the 
sight.  The  house  was  a  fine,  large  one,  the  first  one  on  the 
Broadway,  with  nothing  but  a  small  green  park  between  it 
and  the  beautiful  bay,  up  which  we  had  sailed,  and  nothing  to 
hinder  the  entrance  of  the  fresh  breezes  from  the  sea,  so 
that  I  soon  overcame  my  faintness,  and  Kemble  and  Irving, 
who  were  engaged  in  receiving  reports  and  instructions  from 
two  other  young  men  who  were  going  off  duty,  did  not  even  no 
tice  it,  I  think. 

As  I  said  before,  I  have  only  hazy  memories  of  those  two 
days  —  of  nauseous  duties  that  at  first  it  was  difficult  for  me  to 
school  myself  to  perform,  but  that  grew  easier  with  each  repeti 
tion  until  I  began  to  feel  toward  my  patient  something  of  the 
tenderness  I  think  a  mother  must  feel  toward  her  helpless 
child.  I  remember  that  we  were  never  all  three  of  us  in  the 
sick  chamber  at  a  time  after  our  first  entrance  there  in  the 
morning.  There  was  a  big  room  downstairs  with  a  small  room 
adjoining,  in  which,  on  a  spirit  lamp,  a  kettle  with  a  concoc 
tion  was  kept  continuously  boiling,  so  that  the  room  was  filled 
with  the  fumes  of  vinegar  and  garlic  and  gunpowder  smoke 
from  grains  of  powder  thrown  at  intervals  on  the  flame.  In 
this  room  we  left  the  clothes  we  had  worn  from  Liberty  Hall 
and  got  into  those  we  were  to  wear  while  nursing.  In  the 
larger  room,  which  was  a  pleasantly  furnished  library,  we  took 
turns  at  resting  through  the  day  and  night,  for  our  labors 
were  arduous  while  we  were  on  duty,  and  either  Kemble  or 
Irving  was  being  continually  called  out  to  see  some  new  pa 
tient  and  make  arrangements  for  his  proper  care.  Indeed, 
Kemble  seemed  to  be  the  head  of  this  bureau  of  volunteer  nurses, 
and  he  was  so  frequently  called  into  consultation  by  friends  of 
the  sick  or  by  physicians  that  I  wondered  how  they  had  man 
aged  heretofore  without  my  aid,  poor  and  unskillful  as  it  must 
needs  be. 

I  have  a  dim  remembrance,  also,  that  in  a  pleasant  dining- 


164  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

room  across  the  hall  we  were  comfortably  cared  for  by  an  old 
colored  cook  whom  the  young  men  called  "  Mammy,"  who  gave 
us  delicious  things  to  eat,  if  I  could  judge  from  the  look  and 
the  savory  odor  of  them,  for  the  experiences  of  the  sick-cham 
ber  had  set  my  stomach  against  eating  and  I  could  barely  force 
a  few  mouthfuls  down  with  the  aid  of  some  fine  burgundy 
Mr.  Kemble  had  brought  from  Liberty  Hall.  It  seems  that 
when  Mayor  Livingston  was  taken  ill  and  his  friends  went  to 
his  cellars  for  wine  —  which  is  much  used  in  this  sickness  — 
they  found  the  cellars  empty,  as  the  good  man  had  despoiled 
them  in  caring  for  the  sick  of  the  city. 

It  is  no  wonder,  then,  that  one  of  the  points  that  stands  out 
distinctly  in  my  memory  of  those  two  days  is  that,  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  second  day,  this  great  man,  for  so  I  had  come 
to  regard  him,  whoi:i  I  could  see  Irving  and  Kemble  and  good 
Dr.  Mitchill  had  almost  given  up  for  dead,  suddenly  rallied 
from  the  collapse,  which  is  the  last  and  most  fatal  symptom  of 
this  dread  disease,  opened  his  eyes  and  smiled.  I  was  alone 
with  him.  Both  Kemble  and  Irving  had  been  called  impera 
tively  to  a  case  a  few  doors  away,  and,  believing  that  it  was  only 
now  a  matter  of  an  hour  or  two  with  Mr.  Livingston,  they 
had  left  him  in  my  care  with  a  promise  that  one  or  the  other 
would  be  back  every  few  minutes.  They  had  also  left  instruc 
tions  with  me  to  keep  up  the  soothing  sponging  with  spirits  of 
wine,  and  to  continue  at  brief  intervals  to  try  to  force  a  few 
drops  of  cognac  or  burgundy  between  the  close-shut  jaws. 

Perhaps  because  I  was  such  an  inexperienced  nurse  my  zeal 
was  the  greater.  I  improvised  a  sling  by  which  I  suspended 
immediately  beneath  my  patient's  nostrils  a  sponge  saturated 
with  aromatic  vinegar,  that  he  might  be  inhaling  it  without 
interrupting  my  sponging  of  him  with  the  cooling  spirits  of 
wine.  Every  five  minutes  by  the  clock  I  renewed  my  efforts  to 
force  alternately  cognac  and  burgundy  between  his  lips,  nor 
did  I  ever  desist  without  being  sure  that  a  few  drops  at  least 
had  found  lodgment  there.  It  was  after  one  of  these  attempts, 
more  successful  than  the  others,  that  he  opened  his  eyes.  He 


MR.  LA  FORCE  MAKES  AN"  INSINUATION     165 

seemed  dazed  or  startled  at  sight  of  a  strange  face  and  in  a 
hardly  audible  whisper,  his  lips  scarce  moving,  so  that  I  guessed 
at  the  words  rather  than  heard  them,  he  whispered,  "Who  are 
you?" 

"  Your  nurse,"  I  answered  quietly,  for  I  did  not  think  it 
wise  to  cause  him  even  the  small  excitement  the  knowledge 
that  I  was  his  expected  guest  from  England  might  occasion 
him.  And  inwardly  trembling  with  excitement  and  my  sense 
of  responsibility,  for  he  seemed  to  me  like  a  man  raised  from 
the  dead,  I  added,  in  as  matter  of  fact  a  tone  as  I  knew  how 
to  use,  "  My  instructions  are  that  you  are  to  drink  a  half 
glass  of  this  burgundy;  allow  me,  sir."  Whereupon  I  put  my 
arm  under  his  pillow  and  raised  him  so  that  he  could  drink 
more  freely,  and  though  he  only  drank  a  swallow  or  two,  I 
thought  I  could  detect  a  more  natural  color  creeping  into  his 
face  as  I  laid  him  down.  He  continued  to  look  at  me  with 
that  dazed  expression  for  a  minute;  then  he  murmured  just 
above  his  breath,  "  Ah,  an  Englishman ! "  closed  his  eyes  and 
seemed  to  drop  to  sleep. 

As  for  me,  trembling  with  excitement,  and  determined  he 
should  not  slip  back  again  into  that  deathlike  stupor,  I  re 
doubled  my  exertions.  I  renewed  the  aromatic  vinegar,  I  put 
ice  into  the  spirits  with  which  I  sponged  him  and  at  intervals 
of  only  three  minutes  now  I  put  between  his  lips  a  few  drops 
of  the  wine  or  the  cognac,  which  he  did  not  refuse  to  take. 
And  by  the  time  Irving  and  Kemble  had  returned  his  eyes 
were  open  again  and  wearing  a  much  more  lifelike  expression 
than  at  first. 

Their  excitement  was  even  greater  than  mine,  though  of 
course  they  showed  no  signs  of  it  before  their  patient.  They 
refused,  now  that  there  was  a  glimmering  of  hope,  to  leave 
him  for  any  call,  and  all  that  night  we  three  worked  hard 
and  when  morning  broke  —  I  have  learned  that  the  gray  dawn 
is  a  most  blessed  sight  to  a  watcher  by  a  sick-bed  —  when  the 
morning  broke  and  Dr.  Mitchill  came  in  on  his  early  round, 
telling  us  afterward  that  he  expected  to  find  our  patient  gone, 


166  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

he  found  him  in  such  a  condition  that  he  pronounced  him  out 
of  danger,  provided  he  continued  to  receive  the  most  careful 
nursing. 

At  eight  o'clock  we  were  to  be  relieved  by  the  two  young 
men  we  had  found  in  charge,  but  instead  of  looking  forward 
to  this  as  a  relief,  I  found  that  my  patient  and  my  duties  in 
the  sick-room  had  taken  such  hold  on  me  that  I  was  unwilling 
to  give  them  up.  I  begged  to  be  allowed  to  remain.  I  had  a 
terrible  fear  that  these  two  young  men  would  not  be  as  careful 
or  as  faithful  as  Kemble  and  Irving  had  been,  and  I  wanted  to 
assure  myself  that  nothing  was  left  undone  that  could  hasten 
or  help  the  cure  so  well  begun. 

But  I  might  as  well  talk  to  stone  walls.  Irving  and  Kem 
ble  and  Dr.  Mitchill  were  all  three  adamant.  It  was  an  iron 
rule,  they  said,  which  not  even  Kemble  and  Irving  might  break, 
though  they  would  like  much  to  stay  through  this  day,  at  least, 
and  watch  Mr.  Livingston's  recovery.  They  had  implicit  con 
fidence,  however,  in  the  two  who  were  to  take  their  places  and 
they  arranged  that  regular  tidings  should  reach  them  of  the 
sick  man's  progress. 

Most  of  the  next  two  days  are  still  dreamlike  in  my  memory. 
We  went  from  Mr.  Livingston's  house  out  to  Apthorpe  Hall 
on  the  Bloomingdale  Eoad,  where  it  had  been  arranged  we  were 
to  spend  the  two  days  of  rest,  and  the  first  evening  we  dined  at 
Richmond  Hill  with  a  large  party  of  people.  I  have  only  a  con 
fused  memory  of  that  dinner,  of  much  gay  talk  and  laughter  in 
which  I  was  conscious  of  a  struggle  to  play  my  part  becomingly, 
and  my  remembrance  of  the  next  day  is  still  more  confused,  but 
the  evening  that  followed  stands  out  clear  cut,  distinct,  in 
memory's  gallery. 

We  were  invited  to  dinner  at  the  Grange  and  half  past  three 
saw  us  on  our  way,  galloping  briskly  along  the  beautiful  high 
road  overlooking  the  majestic  river.  The  day  had  turned  off 
cool,  so  that  we  were  not  punishing  our  horses  by  our  pace, 
and  Kemble  and  Irving  were  keeping  up  a  running  comment 
on  all  they  passed,  so  sparkling  with  gayety  and  wit  as  betrayed 
the  exhilaration,  of  their  spirits.  We  had  had  good  reports 


MR.  LA  FORCE  MAKES  AN  INSINUATION     167 

from  Mr.  Livingston  and  the  relief  and  joy  at  the  thought  of 
his  recovery  were  no  doubt  responsible  for  part  of  our  excite 
ment,  but  I  had  an  idea  that  Kemble's  was  due  partly  to  the 
thought  of  meeting  Miss  Livingston,  and  I  wondered  if  tho 
prospect  of  meeting  Mademoiselle  Desloge  could  have  anything 
to  do  with  Irving's.  I  knew  well  why  my  heart  was  pounding 
as  heavily  as  my  head,  which  all  day  had  been  throbbing  with 
a  dull  pain  —  would  she  be  there,  or  was  she  still  at  Liberty 
Hall? 

She  was  there  and  the  evening  would  have  been  one  of  un 
alloyed  pleasure  save  for  the  fact  that  Mr.  La  Force  was  there 
also.  I  might  not  have  minded  that  so  much  —  though  I 
found  myself  detesting  the  man  more  heartily  with  every  glance 
from  his  black-rimmed  eyes  —  but  I  might  not  have  minded 
his  mere  presence  if  he  had  not  chosen  to  devote  himself  most 
pointedly  to  Mademoiselle  Desloge,  and  if  she  had  not  received 
his  attentions  as  if  she  liked  them,  or  so  I  thought.  I  think 
Mr.  Irving  did  not  like  having  the  beauty  engrossed  by  Mr. 
La  Force,  for  he  was  constantly  breaking  into  their  conversa 
tion  and  by  dint  of  his  gay  good  humor  and  sparkling  wit 
contrived  to  win  a  goodly  share  of  her  smiles  for  himself;  but, 
between  the  two,  I  was  left  no  chance  at  all. 

Perhaps  Miss  Livingston  divined  my  discomfiture;  she 
strolled  up  beside  me  when,  after  dinner  out  under  the  trees, 
I  happened  to  be  left  to  myself  for  a  moment,  Mrs.  Hamilton, 
with  whom  I  had  been  talking,  having  been  called  off  by  Mr. 
Troup  to  settle  a  friendly  dispute  between  him  and  Mr.  Gouver- 
neur  Morris,  for  they  also  were  of  the  party. 

"  Your  friend  Mr.  La  Force  seems  to  be  making  an  impres 
sion,"  she  said. 

"  Why  my  <  friend  '  ?  " 

"  Have  you  not  been  rendering  him  a  service  ?  And  is  not 
that  a  proof  of  friendship  ?  " 

"  The  service  was  rendered  Mr.  Livingston,  not  Mr.  La 
Force." 

"  I  am  afraid  he  is  boring  Mademoiselle  Desloge." 

"  She  does  not  look  bored." 


168  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Oh,  she  is  too  courteous  to  betray  her  ennui  and  —  she  is 
a  Frenchwoman,  and  a  very  beautiful  one;  every  man  falls  in 
love  with  her/' 

"He  is  a  Frenchman,  and  a  very  handsome  one  —  or  so  I 
understand  he  is  regarded." 

"  He  is  certainly  handsome,  but  you  know  mere  beauty  does 
not  carry  so  much  weight  with  our  sex  as  with  yours." 

"  No  ?  I  had  not  so  heard.  You  astonish  me  and  you  re 
lieve  me  greatly." 

My  tone  was  purposely  cynical,  but  it  was  true  that  I  was 
relieved  —  a  little. 

"  We  are  tremendously  relieved  to  see  you  safe  back  from 
your  two  days'  nursing.  Miss  Desloge  and  I  have  fumed  and 
fretted  over  your  obstinacy.  Not  but  what  we  have  also  been 
immensely  proud  of  you,  and  Mr.  Kemble  tells  me  you  took 
to  the  nursing  as  if  you  were  born  to  it,  and  you  promise  to 
prove  one  of  their  most  valuable  assistants.  But  I  told  Mr. 
Kemble  not  to  permit  you  to  go  back  again;  and  now  I  beg 
of  you,  Sir  Lionel,  do  not  be  so  foolhardy  —  think  of  your 
father !  " 

Her  words  were  very  pleasant  to  hear.  I  hoped  and  I  be 
lieved  that  she  would  carry  Mr.  Kemble's  good  report  of  me  to 
Mademoiselle  Desloge,  and  if  Mademoiselle  had  "  fumed  and 
fretted  "  she  must  care  a  little. 

"  Thank  you,  Miss  Livingston,"  I  said,  "  for  caring  whether 
I  go  near  the  fever  or  stay  away.  You  are  very  kind  to  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  land.  But  why  do  you  not  use  your  in 
fluence  with  Mr.  Kemble  to  keep  him  away  also  ?  " 

"  My  influence  with  Mr.  Kemble ! "  she  scoffed ;  "  I  have 
none.  And  if  he  chooses  to  throw  away  his  life,  it  is  his  own 
concern." 

She  turned  away  as  she  spoke,  but  not  before  I  saw  a  bright 
flush  suffuse  her  face,  and  I  was  sorry  I  had  spoken  as  I  did. 
The  blush  surprised  me  —  I  had  not  supposed  she  really  cared. 
But  she  only  took  two  or  three  steps,  with  her  head  well  up 
in  the  air,  when  she  turned  and  came  back,  speaking  in  a  low 
tone,  hurriedly,  but  with  great  earnestness : 


MR.  LA  FOftCE  MAKES  AN  INSINUATION     160 

"  Sir  Lionel,  do  not  think  that  I  do  not  greatly  admire  and 
honor  all  you  young  men  for  the  course  you  are  pursuing ;  I 
would  not  have  Mr.  Kemble  or  any  friend  of  mine  act  differ 
ently,  and  I  would  gladly  do  as  they  are  doing  if  it  were  pos 
sible,  and  if  my  family  would  let  me.  Only,  we  all  feel  a 
little  sense  of  responsibility  about  you  since  you  are  a  stranger 
here,  and  we  feel  that  we  owe  it  to  your  father  to  take  care 
of  you." 

I  had  never  seen  Miss  Livingston  in  so  amiable  a  mood, 
and  I  had  never  liked  her  so  well  nor  felt  so  little  anxiety  for 
Miss  Desloge  in  her  hands. 

The  evening  had  turned  cool  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  came  up 
at  this  moment  and  drove  us  all  peremptorily  into  the  house, 
where  we  found  a  cheery  fire  blazing  in  the  wide  chimney  of  the 
long  living-room  whose  windows  on  one  side  looked  to  the  west. 

"  You  must  see  the  sunset  from  indoors  to-night,"  she  said, 
"  for  these  cool  August  evenings  are  dangerous  in  fever  times." 

I  had  felt  a  sudden  chill  out  under  the  trees,  and  seeing  no 
chance  to  look  at  the  sunset  with  Miss  Desloge.  seated  on  a 
deep  window  seat,  Mr.  La  Force  on  one  side  of  her  and  Mr. 
Irving  on  the  other,  I  drew  up  to  the  fire,  grateful  for  its 
warmth,  and  Mr.  Hamilton  and  Mr.  Troup  and  Mr.  Morris, 
gathering  around  the  pleasant  blaze,  immediately  began  to  ply 
me  with  questions  as  to  Mr.  Livingston's  condition  and  my  ex 
periences  since  coming  to  America;  thus  making  me  a  center 
of  attention  which  it  pleased  my  vanity  Miss  Desloge  should 
be  witness  of.  Nothing,  I  have  discovered,  is  more  flattering 
to  a  young  man  than  the  attentions  of  older  men,  and  if  they 
be  also  men  of  note,  then  is  the  flattery  the  more  potent.  Not 
even  the  attentions  of  young  and  beautiful  women  can  so  touch 
his  vanity. 

They  were  deeply  interested  in  what  I  told  them  of  Mr. 
Livingston,  and  no  doubt  I  glowed  in  the  telling,  for  I  was 
naturally  a  hero-worshiper  in  those  days,  and  Mr.  Livingston 
was  a  real  hero  in  my  eyes.  They  laughed  over  my  account 
of  our  exploits  at  Liberty  Hall,  Mr.  Troup  with  such  a  genial 
guffaw  that  I  saw  out  of  the  corner  of  my  eye  that  Miss  Desloge 


170  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

looked  up  quickly  and,  for  a  full  minute  seemed  deeply  inter 
ested  in  our  group  by  the  fire.  Then,  suddenly,  Mr.  Hamilton 
made  a  swift  turn  in  the  conversation. 

"  So  the  King  has  recalled  Pitt  to  the  helm  ? "  he  said* 
"  Are  you  a  Tory,  Sir  Lionel  ?  " 

"  My  family  has  been  Tory  always,"  I  answered,  "  but  I  am 
a  Foxite  Whig.  Only,  I  am  first  and  foremost  an  admirer  of 
Mr.  Pitt." 

"  He  is  the  greatest  of  living  statesmen,"  said  Mr.  Hamilton 
fervently. 

"  With  one  exception,  Alex,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  laying  his 
arm  affectionately  over  Hamilton's  shoulder.  Morris  was  a 
good  half  head  the  taller. 

"  Nonsense !  "  exclaimed  Hamilton  impatiently.  "  I  am  not 
in  Mr.  Pitt's  class." 

"  I  heard  him  call  you  by  the  same  title  you  have  applied 
to  him,  sir,  *  the  greatest  of  living  statesmen,'  only  the  week 
before  I  left  home,"  I  said  respectfully. 

"  You  know  Pitt  ? "  demanded  Mr.  Hamilton  eagerly,  ignor 
ing  the  compliment,  and  Troup  and  Morris  exclaimed  in  the 
same  breath: 

"  He  said  that  of  our  Hamilton ! "  and  Morris  added,  "  I 
have  always  held  him  in  the  highest  admiration;  your  report 
of  him  has  augmented  it  greatly." 

"  But  tell  us  about  him,"  demanded  Hamilton,  impatiently. 
He  had  flushed  like  a  boy  at  the  compliment  of  the  great  Pitt, 
but  his  modesty  would  not  allow  his  friends  to  dwell  on  it. 
"  Where  have  you  known  him  ?  " 

"  He  spent  three  days  at  Clover  Combe  with  us  and  with 
my  uncle  just  before  I  left  home." 

"With  your  uncle!  Then  all  your  talk  must  have  been  of 
war.  I  rather  wonder  that  a  young  fellow  like  you  could  tear 
himself  away  from  home  at  sucfr  a  time.  America  must  seem 
tame  indeed  by  comparison." 

I  felt  myself  flush,  though  I  was  quite  sure  no  imputation 
was  intended. 


MR.  LA  FORCE  MAKES  AN  INSINUATION     171 

"  I  would  not  have  left  home,  sir,  if  I  had  been  allowed  to 
stay.  My  uncle  thought  me  too  young  to  enter  the  army  for 
a  year  or  two.  He  has  promised  me  a  company  on  my  return 
and  I  am  in  the  meanwhile  to  get  myself  in  readiness  for  it 
by  a  life  of  adventure  in  America." 

I  did  not  mean  to  show  that  my  pride  was  touched,  but 
perhaps  I  did.  I  could  see  that  Mademoiselle  Desloge  was 
listening  to  me  and  Mr.  Hamilton  hastened  to  deprecate  any 
intention  of  criticising  me. 

"  Your  friends  were  exactly  right,  Sir  Lionel/'  he  said. 
"  You  are  entirely  too  young.  I  am  sorry  you  should  have 
happened  upon  the  scourge  of  yellow  fever  to  begin  your  ad 
ventures,  but  certainly  your  friends  would  be  proud  of  the  way 
you  have  acquitted  yourself  in  a  trying  ordeal.  You  are  prov 
ing  yourself  of  the  metal  to  make  a  good  soldier." 

I  was  saved  from  the  embarrassment  of  replying  to  this  fine 
speech  by  Hamilton's  eagerness  to  hear  more  of  Mr.  Pitt. 

"  But  tell  me,  please,"  he  went  on  quickly,  "  what  is  the 
condition  of  Mr.  Pitt's  health?  We  had  heard,  here  in 
America,  that  he  was  far  from  well." 

"  And  I  believe  you  have  heard  correctly,  sir,"  I  answered, 
"  if  I  can  judge  from  his  looks.  He  looks  to  me  like  a  man 
far  gone  in  a  phthisic.  But  the  state  of  his  health  does  not 
in  the  least  interfere  with  the  fire  and  energy  of  his  spirit. 
I  heard  my  father  say  if  they  would  only  give  him  Fox  in  his 
cabinet  he  would  pull  through  all  right  and  pull  the  country 
through  with  him." 

"  But  they  surely  will  ?  "  Mr.  Hamilton  demanded. 

"  My  father  thinks  it  doubtful,  sir.  The  old  King  is  bit 
terly  opposed  to  all  Whigs,  but  most  of  all  to  Charles  Fox." 

"  Oh,  the  folly  of  kings !  And  of  all  governments,  for  that 
matter,"  groaned  Mr.  Hamilton.  And  then,  as  if  the  topic 
had  suggested  it,  though  I  could  not  see  the  connection,  he 
turned  quickly  to  Mr.  Morris : 

"  Do  you  think  the  Vice-president  stands  any  chance  for  the 
nomination  to  the  presidency  ?  " 


172  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  None  in  the  least,"  answered  Mr.  Morris  curtly.  "  Do  you 
think  he  is  cherishing  any  hopes  in  that  direction  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  replied  Hamilton  grimly.  "  But  whom 
the  gods  would  destroy,  fortunately,  they  first  make  mad." 

And  then  he  turned  away  and  the  three  older  men  entered 
into  a  close  and  confidential  conversation  which  probably  was 
not  intended  for  me  to  hear  and  to  which  I  did  not  listen,  but 
I  could  not  help  overhearing  an  occasional  word  such  as  "  Loui 
siana/'  "  Western  empire,"  "  boundless  ambition,"  "  Blenner- 
hassett,"  "  General  Wilkinson  " ;  words  which  had  little  mean 
ing  for  me  then,  but  that  I  was  able  to  interpret  later  by  the 
light  of  events. 

In  the  meantime  Mrs.  Hamilton  had  taken  her  seat  at  the 
tea-table,  drawn  up  in  the  warm  chimney  nook.  A  black  boy 
had  just  deposited  upon  the  table  a  massive  silver  tray  bearing 
a  steaming  urn  of  fragrant  coffee  and  a  collection  of  fragile 
porcelain  cups.  She  called  me  to  her  assistance  and  I  thought 
I  saw  my  chance  for  a  word  with  Miss  Desloge.  I  dutifully 
handed  a  cup  to  Miss  Livingston  and  one  to  Miss  Angelica 
Hamilton  —  whom  Miss  Livingston  kept  close  at  her  side  with 
the  air  of  using  her  as  a  protection  against  Mr.  Kemble,  who 
made  a  third  in  their  little  group  —  and  then  I  bore  one  to 
the  deep  window-seat  where  Miss  Desloge  sat  with  her  two 
admirers  —  for  so  they  seemed  to  declare  themselves.  I  had 
brought  with  me  my  own  cup  also,  and  I  said  to  the  two  men 
as  I  came  up : 

"  Mrs.  Hamilton  bids  me  invite  you  to  her  coffee-table,  gen 
tlemen." 

Mr.  Irving  sprang  up  with  alacrity  at  my  word,  and  Mr.  La 
Force  more  slowly,  as  if  he  had  half  a  mind  to  forego  his 
coffee  rather  than  relinquish  his  seat  by  Miss  Desloge.  But 
Mr.  Irving  seized  him  by  the  arm. 

"  Come,  La  Force ! "  he  said  briskly.  "  We  can't  let  an 
Englishman  outdo  us  in  waiting  on  the  ladies,"  and  dragged 
him  off  to  Mrs.  Hamilton  and  kept  him  there,  for  which  I  was 
devoutly  thankful. 


ME.  LA  FORCE  MAKES  AN  INSINUATION"     173 

"  Are  you  afraid  of  me  ?  "  I  asked,  as  I  slipped  into  Mr.  La 
Force's  seat. 

The  sun  was  setting  under  a  heavy  bank  of  slate  blue  clouds, 
betokening  a  stormy  morrow,  I  thought,  but  at  this  moment 
it  shot  a  sheaf  of  golden  arrows  in  level  lines  straight  from 
under  the  lower  rim  of  the  threatening  bank.  Not  every 
beautiful  woman  could  have  borne  that  intense  illumination, 
without  suffering  in  her  beauty,  but  its  only  effect  on  Miss 
Desloge  was  to  turn  the  waving  masses  of  her  red-bronze  hair 
to  gold,  to  tint  the  rounded  contour  of  her  throat  and  cheek 
with  the  transparent  rose  and  pearl  of  the  shell,  to  make  those 
wonderful  brown  eyes  glow  with  such  lambent  flames  that  I 
could  hardly  have  borne  to  look  into  them,  save  that  as  she 
looked  up  at  me  to  answer  my  question  there  was  a  sweeter 
light  in  them  than  I  had  ever  seen  there  before. 

"  To  fear  is  to  hate,  and  I  do  not  hate  you,"  she  said  with 
her  twinkling  glance.  And  then  she  added  softly  — "  Not 
afraid  of  you  but  for  you,  Sir  Lionel/'' 

What  wonder  that  my  head  whirled !  She  went  on  in  a 
tone  of  entreaty  that  I  liked  well  to  hear  though  I  had  no 
intention  of  heeding: 

"  Do  not  go  back,  Sir  Lionel.  For  your  father's  sake ;  for 
all  our  sakes." 

"  You  make  it  hard  for  me,  Miss  Desloge,"  I  stammered, 
"  for  I  must  go  back." 

"  But  you  have  proven  your  courage  and  your  good  will. 
Is  not  that  enough?  Mr.  Irving  says  Mayor  Livingston  will 
owe  his  life  to  you,  if  he  lives ;  that  it  is  your  untiring  devotion 
and  skill  that  have  saved  him.  You  have  won  your  laurels; 
rest  on  them." 

"  It  is  not  fame  that  calls,  Miss  Desloge,  but  duty,"  I  ob 
jected. 

"  These  others  owe  a  duty  to  their  friends  and  their  country 
men,  I  grant,  but  not  you,"  she  urged.  "  Your  duty  is  to 
your  father  and  —  to  those  who  love  you." 

These  last  words  were  said  in  such  a  softly  dropping  voice 


174  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

—  could  she  possibly  mean  she  was  one  who  loved  me  ?  I  was 
mad  to  think  such  thoughts,  but  the  long  lashes  were  lying 
on  her  cheek  and  her  color  was  coming  and  going,  a  palpitating 
rose.  I  had  to  steel  my  heart  against  her. 

"  Those  who  love  me,  Miss  Desloge,"  I  said  —  the  effort  I 
made  to  resist  her  pleading  made  me  speak  sternly  — "  and  my 
father  most  of  all,  would  be  ashamed  of  me  and  rightly  despise 
me  if  I  proved  myself  a  coward." 

There  was  a  sudden  flash  of  her  eyes  into  mine.  I  could 
not  be  mistaken;  that  lightning  glance  spoke,  louder  than 
words,  of  generous  admiration  and  approval.  Could  it  be  she 
had  been  only  testing  me  in  trying  to  persuade  me  to  relinquish 
my  duty?  But  in  a  moment  the  glowing  look  had  vanished; 
the  eyes  were  cold  and  hard. 

"  Very  well,  Sir  Lionel,  you  will  do  as  you  think  best,  of 
course,  regardless  of  the  wishes  of  your  friends." 

"  Mademoiselle,  will  you  be  good  enough  to  get  me  my  cash 
mere  long  shawl  ?  My  shoulders  are  cold." 

I  could  not  believe  that  the  imperious  command,  carelessly 
and  arrogantly  uttered,  could  come  from  the  Miss  Livingston 
who  had  shown  herself  in  such  an  amiable  light  earlier  in  the 
evening.  My  blood  boiled  at  her  tone  and  I  saw  Kemble  re 
gard  her  curiously.  Mademoiselle  Desloge  had  started  up 
nervously  at  the  first  sound  of  Miss  Livingston's  voice,  but  I 
would  not  look  at  her. 

"  I  will  get  your  shawl,  Miss  Livingston.  Pray  tell  me 
where  it  is,"  I  demanded,  striding  up  to  her  with,  no  doubt, 
something  of  the  belligerence  I  was  feeling  betrayed  in  my 
voice  and  stride. 

"  Oh,  la,  no !  Sir  Lionel,"  she  laughed.  "  'T  would  be  vastly 
improper  for  you  to  invade  the  sanctity  of  a  lady's  chamber. 
Miss  Desloge  will  get  it." 

In  fact,  Miss  Desloge,  moving  swiftly,  was  already  out  of 
the  room,  leaving  a  most  embarrassed  group  behind  her.  Mr. 
Kemble's  face  was  deeply  flushed;  Mr.  Irving  was  openly  in 
dignant;  a  light  sneer  curled  Mr.  La  Force's  lips,  and  I  can 
only  say,  for  myself,  that,  if  I  looked  as  I  felt,  no  thunder- 


MR.  LA  FORCE  MAKES  AN  INSINUATION     175 

cloud  could  be  blacker.  The  older  men  and  Mrs.  Hamilton 
had  apparently  neither  heard  nor  seen,  but  Miss  Angelica  was 
drooping  beside  Miss  Livingston  like  a  white  lily  crushed  with 
shame. 

Perhaps  with  a  courteous  idea  of  relieving  the  embarrass 
ment,  Mr.  La  Force  turned  to  me: 

"  I  hope  you  are  enjoying  your  nursing,  Sir  Lionel  ?  " 

"  I  like  it  better  than  a  clerk's  duties,  I  believe,  Mr.  La 
Force/7  I  responded,  not  willing  to  be  outdone  by  a  Frenchman 
in  his  efforts  to  save  the  situation.  "  How  are  affairs  at  the 
office?" 

Mr.  La  Force  was  visibly  embarrassed  and  hesitating,  a  man 
ner  which  I  came  to  believe,  later,  was  entirely  assumed.  He 
cleared  his  throat  before  he  answered  in  a  voice  only  slightly 
raised,  but  of  so  penetrating  a  quality  that  it  caught  the  atten 
tion  of  the  three  older  men,  who  stopped  their  discussion  for  a 
moment  and  turned  to  listen: 

"  Not  quite  as  well  as  I  could  wish,  Sir  Lionel.  I  have 
come  upon  an  inexplicable  complication  in  the  last  day  or  two, 
but  I  have  no  doubt  a  further  investigation  will  explain  it 
satisfactorily." 

These  Yankees  think  us  Englishmen  slow  of  comprehension. 
Perhaps  we  are.  I  thought  it  very  extraordinary  that  Mr.  La 
Force  should  mention  his  office  troubles  in  such  a  company, 
but  it  was  not  until  many  days  afterward  that  it  struck  me 
that  his  speech  could  have  any  personal  significance  for  me. 


XV 

ON   THE   GREAT   TIDAL   RIVER 

I  HAD  not  been  mistaken  when  I  thought  that  low-lying 
bank  of  cloud  in  the  west  portended  storm,  but  I  had  not 
looked  for  it  to  come  so  soon.  We  were  drenched  to  the  skin 
before  we  reached  the  Apthorpe  Mansion  on  the  Bloomingdale 
Road,  by  one  of  those  semi-tropical  storms  that  I  had  already 
learned  were  peculiar  to  the  country.  It  was  as  brief  as  it 
was  violent  and  the  stars  were  shining  when  we  rode  in  under 
the  Apthorpe  trees,  but  the  mischief  was  done,  and  if  I  had 
had  any  chance  before  of  escaping  the  fever,  I  had  none  now. 

Our  friends  of  Apthorpe  kindled  great  fires  in  the  kitchen 
to  dry  our  clothing  while  we  went  to  bed,  for  we  had  come 
direct  from  Mr.  Livingston's  where  we  had  no  change  of  outer- 
garments,  it  being  considered  inadvisable  to  expose  any  more 
of  our  wearing  apparel  than  necessary  to  the  infection.  Our 
coats  were  still  a  little  damp  when  we  got  into  them  the  next 
morning,  which  seemed  to  have  no  effect  on  Irving  and  Kemble, 
and  ordinarily  would  have  mattered  not  at  all  to  me.  But 
there  was  a  cool  wind  blowing  up  the  river  and  off  the  bay 
as  we  galloped  through  the  morning  air  and  by  the  time  we 
had  changed  once  more  into  our  nursing  garments  in  the  little 
disinfecting  room  at  Mr.  Livingston's,  every  bone  in  my  body 
was  aching  miserably,  my  head  was  throbbing  violently,  and 
my  flesh  was  burning. 

"  'Tis  only  a  cold  I  have  taken,"  I  said  to  myself,  but  hardly 
had  we  entered  Mr.  Livingston's  chamber  and  expressed  our 
congratulations  to  our  patient  —  for  he  was  a  very  different 
looking  man  from  the  one  we  had  left  two  days  before  —  when 
he  turned  to  Mr.  Kemble: 

176 


ON  THE  GREAT  TIDAL  RIVER  177 

"  That  young  Englishman  has  the  fever,  Kemble,"  he  ex 
claimed  peremptorily.  "  Put  him  to  bed  at  once." 

There  was  no  use  disclaiming  or  resisting.  One  horrified 
glance  from  Kemble  and  Irving  and  I  was  hustled  into  bed, 
by  Mr.  Livingston's  direction,  in  a  chamber  across  the  hall 
from  his  own,  and,  having  once  submitted  to  their  will,  I 
sank  so  rapidly  into  apathy  and  stupor  that  I  cared  not  what 
became  of  me. 

For  the  next  ten  days  I  was  unconscious  most  of  the  time, 
but  it  was  an  unconsciousness  haunted  by  dreams.  One  con 
stantly  recurring  vision  I  could  have  sworn  at  times  was  no 
dream,  but  a  vivid  reality.  It  was  of  an  angel  in  white  who 
bathed  my  face  and  hands  with  a  cooling  preparation;  who 
held  an  aromatic  sponge  to  my  nostrils;  who  coaxed  wine  be 
tween  my  lips;  who  made  cooling  breezes  play  about  my  tem 
ples  with  a  great  fan  she  held  in  her  hand;  who  was  constantly 
rendering  me  the  services  I  had  rendered  Mr.  Livingston. 
And  this  angel  in  white  wore  a  halo  of  red-gold  hair  and  looked 
at  me  with  the  wine-brown,  eyes  of  Miss  Desloge.  I  knew  it 
was  the  delirium  of  fever,  but  I  liked  my  hallucinations  and 
clung  to  them. 

It  seems  that,  from  the  first,  I  developed  the  alarming  symp 
toms  that  usually  come  later  in  the  disease,  and  that  my  friends 
had  little  hope  of  my  recovery;  but  they  did  not  know  the 
Marchmont  constitution.  It  wras  the  third  day  of  September 
that  I  went  to  bed  in  Mr.  Livingston's  house,  and  on  the 
fifteenth,  I  was  being  driven  slowly  up  Broadway  and  out  Cort- 
landt  Street  to  a  slip  at  its  foot  where  lay  the  Livingston 
sloop,  in  which  Miss  Livingston  had  come  down  from  Clermont 
three  weeks  before.  Mr.  Livingston  was  sitting  beside  me  and, 
since  a  black  frost  had  descended  upon  the  city  a  week  before, 
sent  early  as  a  special  providence,  all  men  thought,  there  would 
be  no  new  cases  and  therefore  no  longer  any  pressing  need 
for  the  services  of  my  friends,  Kemble  and  Irving,  who  were 
facing  us  in  the  coach.  We  were  all  four  to  make  the  trip 
together,  as  I  knew;  what  I  did  not  know  and  was  puzzling 
my  brain  about  quite  unnecessarily,  since  I  was  sure  to  find 
12 


178 

out  very  soon,  was  whether  Miss  Livingston  and  Miss  Desloge 
were  also  to  be  of  the  party.  My  luggage  and  my  horse, 
Saladin,  had  been  sent  aboard  the  night  before,  and  it  was  not 
yet  seven  o'clock  when  we  stepped  on  the  deck  of  the  big 
sloop,  Clermont,  with  the  crew  already  tugging  at  the  great 
mainsail,  letting  it  out  reef  by  reef,  and  bustling  about  the 
many  other  preparations  pertaining  to  departure.  It  had  been 
necessary  to  make  this  early  start  to  take  advantage  of  the  tide, 
hoping  that  we  might  run  as  far  as  West  Point  on  our  first 
day's  trip  should  we  find  favoring  winds. 

I  was  still  weak  with  the  great  weakness  that  always  follows 
this  fever,  and  my  head  swam  and  :  ly  limbs  trembled  under 
me,  as  Miss  Livingston  and  Miss  Desloge  came  forward  to 
meet  us  with  smiles  of  welcome.  Miss  Desloge  was  all  in  white, 
for  the  morning  was  warm,  and  at  my  first  glance  into  her 
eyes  where  anxiety  and  relief  were  almost  equally  portrayed, 
a  conviction  took  possession  of  me  not  to  be  dislodged  by  any 
process  of  reasoning,  that  the  angel  in  white  who  had  appeared  to 
me  in  my  delirium  had  not  been  one  of  the  wild  visions  of  fever. 

An  awning  had  been  stretched  over  a  couch  piled  with  pil 
lows  and  robes  on  the  forward  deck,  and  here  Miss  Livingston 
and  Miss  Desloge  insisted  on  installing  me  at  once  with  the 
pretty  imperiousness  maidens  know  how  to  use  toward  an  in 
valid,  and  that  no  man  can  resist.  And  since  breakfast  had 
been  an  early  meal  and  a  hurried  one  for  all  of  us,  a  negro 
steward  drew  up  a  table  near  my  couch  and  served  us  a  second 
breakfast,  as  the  great  sail  filled  to  the  southerly  breeze  and 
we  slowly  floated  out  into  mid-stream  and  the  boat  turned  its 
nose  up  the  river.  The  soft  air  and  the  enticing  odors,  wafted 
through  the  open  door  of  the  little  galley,  put  a  keen  edge  on 
an  appetite  that  was  growing  rapidly  from  day  to  day,  but  the 
savory  odors  of  the  delicious-looking  breakfast  presently  set 
forth  on  the  little  table  were  all  of  it  I  was  permitted  to  in 
dulge  in.  A  bowl  of  mutton  broth  spiced  with  a  dash  of 
ratafia  was  my  breakfast,  and  no  amount  of  grumbling  could 
persuade  my  stony-hearted  guardians  to  grant  me  even  so  much 
else  as  a  bit  of  broiled  bacon. 


ON  THE  GEEAT  TIDAL  EIVER  179 

Half  an  hour  after  breakfast  I  had  my  chance,  when  Kemble 
and  Irving  had  gone  to  take  a  hand  at  the  sailing  —  a  sport 
in  which  they  were  past  masters  —  and  Miss  Livingston  had 
gone  to  look  after  her  Uncle  Edward,  who  insisted  stoutly  he 
was  no  longer  an  invalid,  but  whom  she  persisted  as  stoutly 
in  coddling  as  one. 

"We  were  just  passing  the  Grange.  We  could  see  its  white- 
pillared  porch  high  on  the  bluffs  a  half  mile  back  from  the 
river. 

"  Miss  Desloge,"  I  said  sternly,  "  did  you  ever  leave  the 
Grange  during  your  stay  there  and  go  down  into  the  infected 
district  of  the  city  ?  " 

She  flushed  quickly  at  the  suddenness  of  my  attack,  but  she 
answered  coldly : 

"  'T  is  a  strange  question,  Sir  Lionel ;  why  do  you  ask  it  ?  " 

She  was  waving  a  great  fan  slowly  to  make  more  air,  for 
the  breeze,  only  a  light  one  at  best,  was  behind  us,  and  the 
great  sail  kept  most  of  it  from  reaching  us,  and  the  day  was 
already  beginning  to  grow  sultry.  She  did  not  cease  its  slow 
waving  back  and  forth  as  she  spoke.  I  answered  her: 

"  Because  in  my  fever  dreams  I  saw,  not  once  but  many 
times,  just  such  a  vision  as  I  see  beside  me  now,  waving  a  great 
fan,  like  that  one  you  hold  in  your  hand." 

"  I  have  heard  that  people  have  many  strange  illusions  in 
the  delirium  of  fever,"  she  answered  calmly,  but  her  color  deep 
ening  steadily. 

"  I  believe  this  one  to  have  been  no  vision  due  to  delirium, 
Miss  Desloge,  no  'baseless  fabric'  of  a  dream;  but  I  cannot 
be  sure  whether  that  belief  fills  me  more  with  joy  or  alarm. 
You  had  no  right  to  expose  yourself  to  infection." 

"  I  have  not  admitted  and  I  never  will  admit  that  I  have 
so  exposed  myself,  Sir  Lionel,"  she  protested  with  some  im 
patience. 

"You  do  not  need  to  admit  it,"  I  persisted.  "You  have 
only  to  deny  it  —  I  will  never  doubt  your  word." 

She  sprang  to  her  feet. 

"  I  think  I  hear  Miss  Livingston  calling  me.     I  must  go  and 


180  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

see  what  she  wants/'  she  exclaimed  hurriedly,  looking  about 
her  as  if  seeking  the  means  of  flight. 

But  I  caught  the  hand  that  held  the  fan;  it  clattered  to 
the  deck,  and  she  struggled  to  release  her  hand  that  she  might 
pick  it  up  again. 

"  Never  mind  the  fan,  Miss  Desloge,"  I  commanded.  "  Sit 
down,  please.  Miss  Livingston  is  not  calling,  and  if  she  were 
it  does  not  become  you  to  be  so  humbly  at  any  arrogant  woman's 
beck  and  nod/' 

She  sat  down  reluctantly,  but  in  a  flash  she  was  looking  up 
at  me  with  a  great  show  of  mock  humility  and  that  twinkle 
in  her  eyes  that  haunted  me  with  such  an  elusive  sense  of 
having  known  it  before. 

"  I  suppose  it  becomes  me  better,  my  Lord,  to  be  at  the 
beck  and  nod  of  an  arrogant  man  ?  "  she  asked  saucily. 

"  Much  better,"  I  smiled.  "  Though  I  deny  the  insinuation. 
I  am  not  arrogant." 

"  Indeed  ?     Would  you  call  it  meekness  ?  " 

"  Neither  am  I  meek.  But  I  am  a  sick  man  and  ought  not 
to  be  crossed.  Did  you,  or  did  you  not  visit  me  in  my  illness 
at  Mr.  Livingston's  house  ?  "  I  demanded. 

She  paled  a  little  at  my  point-blank  question,  but  I  could 
see  it  was  with  anger.  She  swept  quickly  to  her  feet  again 
before  I  could  again  prevent,  and  spoke  haughtily : 

"  No,  you  are  neither  arrogant  nor  meek,  Sir  Lionel,  you 
are  only  rude." 

And  giving  me  chance  neither  to  explain  nor  to  apologize, 
she  vanished  behind  the  great  boom  of  the  mainsail,  leaving 
me  to  chew  the  cud  of  reflections  that  were  somewhat  bitter  in 
the  after-taste,  but  that  discovered,  also,  a  trace  of  sweetness 
in  their  tang. 

She  did  not  deny  it!  She  could  not  deny  it.  Then  she 
had  risked  her  life  to  care  for  me;  and  I  believed  I  owed  my 
life  to  her  care.  It  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  prove  her 
presence  in  my  sick  chamber  by  simply  asking  Mr.  Irving, 
Mr.  Kemble  or  Mr.  Livingston,  or  even  Miss  Livingston;  she 


ON  THE  GREAT  TIDAL  RIVER  181 

could  not  possibly  have  been  there  without  the  knowledge  and 
connivance  of  all  four.  But  a  strong  reluctance  kept  me  from 
broaching  the  topic;  I  had  rather  they  would  think  I  did  not 
suspect  her  presence,  that  I  had  been,  through  all  those  days, 
as  wholly  unconscious  as  I  seemed. 

Miss  Desloge's  flight,  so  far  from  daunting  me,  had  given 
me  a  sense  of  triumph.  If  I  could  so  easily  put  her  to  flight 
it  meant  she  was  afraid  of  me,  and  —  what  did  that  mean? 
And  though  I  did  not  get  another  chance  to  speak  to  her  for 
some  hours,  and  though  I  could  see  her  leaning  over  the  railing 
with  Mr.  Irving,  enjoying  with  him  the  beauty  of  the  great 
river  which  now  began  to  be  wonderful,  indeed,  and  which  I 
longed  to  enjoy  with  a  sympathetic  soul  such  as  I  was  sure  she 
would  prove,  yet  I  bided  my  time,  hoping  I  appeared  sufficiently 
responsive  to  Miss  Livingston's  kind  efforts  at  interesting  and 
amusing  me. 

For,  though  Miss  Desloge  did  not  come  near  me,  Miss 
Livingston  sat  beside  me  and  spared  no  effort  for  my  enter 
tainment,  and  having  my  share,  I  suppose,  of  the  conceit  com 
mon  to  all  young  men,  I  began  to  wonder  if  it  could  be  possible 
that  Miss  Livingston  was  trying  to  win  my  regards  for  herself, 
and  if  I  could  account,  on  that  hypothesis,  for  her  manner 
toward  Miss  Desloge  —  mortifying  her  and  treating  her  as  a 
menial  in  my  presence,  and  at  every  opportunity  sending  her 
away  and  taking  her  place  at  my  side. 

I  did  not  enjoy  the  thought,  but  perhaps  I  was  not  so  much 
to  blame  for  entertaining  it,  for  Mr.  Kemble,  who  had  given 
many  proofs  of  his  interest  in  Miss  Livingston,  was  constantly 
hovering  near  us,  trying  to  attract  a  little  of  her  attention  for 
himself,  and  was  as  constantly  being  snubbed  and  sent  about 
his  business. 

I  suppose  I  grew  restive  finally,  for  Miss  Livingston  called 
sharply  to  Miss  Desloge: 

"  Mademoiselle,  come  here,  if  you  please,  and  rearrange  Sir 
Lionel's  pillows,  and  see  if  you  can  make  him  more  comfort 
able." 


182  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Miss  Desloge  had  started  forward  at  Miss  Livingston's  first 
words,  but  at  the  last  she  stood  stock  still,  the  spirit  of  mutiny 
flashing  from  her  dark  eyes,  and  a  wave  of  crimson  deluging 
her  face.  Mr.  Irving  saw  her  embarrassment  and  sprang  gal 
lantly  to  the  rescue. 

"  Let  me  do  it,  Miss  Livingston,"  he  exclaimed ;  "  I  know 
all  about  arranging  pillows;  I  am  an  accomplished  nurse,  you 
know." 

He  was  about  to  suit  his  action  to  his  words,  but  I  stopped 
him.  I  know  not  what  perverse  spirit  had  taken  possession  of 
me.  By  my  own  criterion  of  a  gentleman's  conduct  I  should 
have  sympathized  with  Miss  Desloge,  been  more  than  ready  to 
save  her  any  mortification  and  been  hotly  indignant  with  Miss 
Livingston  for  inflicting  it  upon  her.  I  was  experiencing,  in 
place  of  these  very  proper  emotions,  a  reprehensible  sense  of 
elation.  I  was  keenly  grateful  to  Miss  Livingston  for  giving 
me  this  chance  to  domineer  a  little  over  Miss  Desloge,  as  I 
fully  intended  to  do.  In  fact,  I  was  feeling  quite  like  the 
little  bully  I  used  to  sometimes  be,  in  my  childhood,  toward 
Eosie  Dufour.  Not  that  I  often  got  the  better  of  Eosie; 
she  knew  how  to  hold  her  own,  and  as  a  rule  returned  me  as 
good  as  I  sent  —  if  not  better. 

Now  it  struck  me  as  rather  odd  that  I  should  feel  this  way 
toward  Miss  Desloge;  I  never  had  the  slightest  feeling  of  the 
kind  toward  Peggy.  Was  it  Miss  Desloge's  little  spirit  of  re 
sistance  and  of  mutiny  that  kindled  the  desire  in  me  to  subdue 
it?  Or  was  it  the  knowledge  that  she  had  put  herself  in  my 
power  by  showing  that  she  cared  for  me  enough  to  risk  her 
life  in  nursing  me  through  an  infectious  fever?  If  it  was  the 
last,  I  must  indeed  be  a  bully  at  heart.  But  whatever  had 
roused  the  feeling,  I  was  enjoying  it,  and  so  I  checked  Mr. 
Irving's  impulse. 

"  Don't  you  dare  to  touch  one  of  my  pillows,  Jonathan !  " 
I  exclaimed  peremptorily.  "  Miss  Desloge,  will  you  be  so  good 
as  to  carry  out  Miss  Livingston's  directions  ?  " 

She  did  not  move,  but  glanced  appealingly  at  Miss  Living 
ston.  It  seemed  to  me  those  soft  brown  eyes  could  melt  a 


ON  THE  GREAT  TIDAL  RIVER  183 

heart  of  stone,  with  that  look  in  them.  They  melted  neither 
Miss  Livingston's  nor  mine,  however,  though  I  had  to  look 
quickly  away  to  preserve  mine  from  becoming  the  softest  kind 
of  gruel. 

"  Miss  Livingston,"  I  said,  "  perhaps  you  will  be  so  kind  as 
to  repeat  your  instructions.  I  think  Miss  Desloge  did  not  quite 
understand  them." 

Whereupon  Miss  Livingston  repeated  them  with  such  extreme 
imperiousness  that  I  winced  a  little,  though  I  was  determined 
to  go  through  with  my  part.  Miss  Desloge  had  no  choice  but 
to  obey.  She  moved  slowly  forward,  but  by  the  time  she  had 
reached  my  couch  she  seemed  to  have  decided  upon  the  man 
ner  in  which  she  would  obey,  since  obey  she  must.  She  tossed 
her  head  disdainfully,  seized  the  pillows  with  no  tender  hand, 
almost  with  the  effect  of  jerking  them  from  under  my  head; 
gave  them  each  one  a  vindictive  little  punch  and  as  roughly 
as  was  possible  to  her  to  do  anything,  rearranged  them  under 
my  head  and  shoulders. 

I  caught  Mr.  Irving's  eye.  He  had  inclined  to  be  much 
offended  with  me,  I  think,  for  what  he  regarded  as  my  dis 
courtesy  to  Miss  Desloge,  but  as  I  caught  his  eye  I  gave  him 
a  knowing  wink  and  smile.  He  saw  that  it  was  all  a  play 
and  his  brow  cleared. 

"There!  Sir  Lionel,  I  hope  you  are  more  comfortable!" 
snapped  Miss  Desloge,  as  she  gave  my  pillows  one  last  fierce 
punch. 

I  sighed  ecstatically. 

"  Oh,  delicious ! "  I  murmured ;  "  I  never  had  pillows  so 
skillfully  and  so  tenderly  arranged  before.  Perhaps,  since  you 
have  been  so  good,  you  will  be  still  better  and  sit  beside  me 
and  fan  me  while  Mr.  Irving  tells  us  about  these  wonderful 
shores  we  are  passing." 

She  could  not  keep  the  corners  of  her  beautiful  scarlet  lips 
from  dimpling  into  a  little  smile,  nor  prevent  that  delightful 
twinkle,  that  I  was  beginning  to  watch  for  like  the  face  of  an 
old  friend,  from  peeping  roguishly  out  of  her  eyes.  She  took 
her  seat  beside  me  demurely  and  picked  up  the  great  fan  from 


184  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

the  foot  of  the  couch,  while  Mr.  Irving  drew  up  a  stool  to  my 
other  side. 

"  Oh,  la,  Mr.  Kemble,  let  us  go  for  a  stroll,"  said  Miss 
Livingston,  rising  as  she  spoke.  "  Mr.  Irving  is  daft  on  the 
Hudson.  He  is  stuffed  with  legends  of  Sleepy  Hollow  and 
the  Dunderberg.  He  says  he  is  going  to  write  a  book  about 
them  some  day,  but  we  have  heard  him  tell  them  so  often  I 
had  rather  not  hear  them  again  until  I  read  them  in  his 
book/' 

I  thought  she  was  probably  a  little  miffed  at  my  evident 
determination  to  keep  Miss  Desloge  beside  me,  but  I  blush 
now  when  I  think  of  the  conceit  of  me.  I  have  no  doubt  she 
was  as  delighted  to  get  off  alone  with  Mr.  Kemble  as  he  was 
to  have  her  to  himself  for  a  while,  though  she  did  not  betray 
her  delight  as  undisguisedly  as  he. 

Miss  Livingston  had  pointed  out  Fort  Washington  and  across 
the  river  from  it  Fort  Lee,  just  at  the  beginning  of  a  great 
wall  of  rock  rising  several  hundred  feet  above  us,  sheer  and 
straight  as  the  side  of  a  house.  We  had  been  for  an  hour 
or  more  sailing  by  the  mighty  wall  and  still  there  seemed  no 
end  to  it.  It  filled  me  with  awe  to  look  up  at  it. 

"  The  Titans  have  been  at  work  here,  Mr.  Irving,"  I  said,  as 
he  drew  up  his  stool  beside  me. 

Mr.  Irving  fell  into  my  mood  at  once,  and  with  all  the 
pride  of  a  showman  descanted  on  the  wonders  of  the  "  Great 
Chip  Bock/'  as  he  called  it.  We  were  running  close  in  under 
it  now  and  since  the  day  was  wearing  on  to  noon  and  the  heat 
had  waxed  with  the  hours,  we  found  the  shadow  of  the  great 
rock  a  pleasant  relief  from  the  hot  glare  of  the  waters.  Irving 
had  just  pointed  out  to  me  a  projecting  point  on  the  great 
wall  where  a  pair  of  lovers  had  suddenly  and  mysteriously  dis 
appeared  from  the  eyes  of  their  friends  not  thirty  feet  away, 
never  to  be  seen  or  heard  of  again,  when  the  black  steward 
bustled  up  with  preparations  for  another  meal,  and  Miss  Liv 
ingston,  her  uncle  and  Mr.  Kemble  hearing  or  seeing  or  smell 
ing  the  delightful  news  —  for  in  a  long  day  on  the  water 
nothing  can  be  a  pleasanter  means  of  beguilement  than  frequent 


ON  THE  GREAT  TIDAL  RIVER  185 

little  meals  —  Mr.  living's  stories  were  put  an  end  to  for  a 
while. 

And  this  time,  much  to  my  delight,  I  was  allowed  some 
thing  more  substantial  than  a  bowl  of  broth.  A  grilled  bone, 
and  a  bit  of  hot  buttered  toast  with  a  glass  of  burgundy  made 
a  more  substantial  meal  than  I  had  yet  been  permitted,  and 
when,  as  a  dessert,  I  was  given  a  slice  of  a  melon  of  such 
rich  and  luscious  flavor  as  I  had  never  before  tasted,  I  felt 
that  I  was  far  on  the  high  road  to  complete  recovery,  though, 
since  Miss  Livingston  ordered  Miss  Desloge  to  carve  my  bone 
into  extremely  small  mouthfuls,  and  to  feed  them  to  me,  I 
began  to  think  I  did  not  want  to  get  well  too  quickly  —  I 
would  miss  the  pleasant  services  of  my  nurse.  To  be  sure, 
Miss  Desloge  still  maintained  her  air  of  acting  under  compul 
sion,  as  she  malignantly  speared  each  piece  of  mutton  with  her 
fork  and  fiercely  presented  it  to  my  lips,  but  she  was  withal 
so  dainty  and  so  dexteror",  in  the  doing  of  it,  and  I  was  so 
sure  her  fierceness  was  only  assumed,  that  I  enjoyed  it  better 
than  if  it  had  been  done  with  an  air  of  tenderness,  since  there 
were  others  there  to  see. 

And  while  w>  were  still  at  the  table,  we  left  the  great  wall 
of  rock  behind  us  and  came  out  into  a  wide  lake  with  high 
hills  on  the  left  bank  and  on  the  right,  picturesque  valleys  and 
hanging  woods,  and  sparkling  streams  and  sloping  meadows, 
and  orchards  laden  with  ruddy  apples,  and  hamlets  and  vil 
lages,  and  farmhouses  with  great  barns  bursting  with  hay,  and 
sleek  cattle  and  fat  horses  in  the  pastures.  It  was  a  homely 
picture  of  rural  comfort  and  boundless  prosperity,  and  I 
thought  it  as  fair  a  landscape  and  a  richer  setting  than  any 
I  had  ever  seen  in  Old  England.  When  I  said  so  to  Mr.  Irving 
his  eye  kindled : 

"  'T  is  the  landscape  I  love  best  of  all !  "  he  exclaimed  en 
thusiastically.  "  I  have  spent  much  of  my  boyhood  hunting 
those  woods  and  fishing  those  streams  and  some  day,  please 
God,  I  shall  have  a  home  in  one  of  those  valleys  with  its  lawn 
sloping  down  to  the  river  I  love." 

Then  he  told  me  the  little  village  we  were  just  passing  was 


186  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

called  Tarrytown,  and  the  Dutch  housewives  had  named  it  so 
because  their  husbands  tarried  late  on  Saturday  nights  in  Van 
Tassel's  tavern  over  their  pipes  and  ale.  There,  in  a  little 
cleft  between  two  hills,  where  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  square 
church  tower,  he  pointed  out  Sleepy  Hollow,  the  oldest  settle 
ment  in  that  part  of  the  country;  and  he  had  some  blood 
curdling  tales  to  tell  us  of  a  headless  horseman  who  haunted 
the  Hollow  and  the  little  churchyard  —  or  at  least  they  would 
have  been  blood-curdling  but  that  everything  young  Irving  said 
was  so  seasoned  with  a  lively  wit  that  we  laughed  where  we 
should  have  shuddered. 

He  pointed  out  the  spot,  also,  where  the  gallant  young  Andre 
was  captured,  and  it  pleased  me  much  that  he  used  neither  the 
levity  with  which  he  had  told  the  tale  of  the  Headless  Horse 
man,  nor  the  veiled  pride  that  might  have  been  expected  in 
speaking  of  a  foeman.  I  was  grateful,  since  at  home  we 
younger  men  had  made  a  hero  of  the  unfortunate  Andre  and 
I  could  ill  have  borne  to  hear  him  lightly  spoken  of.  Instead, 
Mr.  Irving  said  that  there  had  been  much  sympathy  for  Andre's 
fate  in  America,  and  he  believed,  if  it  had  been  possible,  Wash 
ington  would  have  pardoned  him;  while  for  Arnold,  the 
traitor,  there  was  only  horror  and  detestation  throughout  the 
land. 

It  was  years  after  that  I  read  the  tale  of  the  Headless  Horse 
man  in  print,  and  while  with  the  rest  of  my  countrymen  I 
admired  the  great  writer  extravagantly,  and  eagerly  devoured 
all  he  wrote  as  soon  as  it  appeared  in  print,  I  think  this  story 
will  always  remain  a  special  favorite  with  me;  for  I  came  to 
know  the  Headless  Horseman's  country  well  before  I  left 
America,  and  Mr.  Irving  himself  told  me  that  he  believed  it 
was  our  recalling  together  the  old  tales  and  the  old  times, 
when  he  was  visiting  me  at  Clover  Combe  Court,  that  was  the 
occasion  of  his  writing  the  tale.  For  it  was  immediately  on 
his  return  to  London  from  that  visit,  walking  across  London 
Bridge  one  night,  that  it  occurred  to  him  to  put  the  Headless 
Horseman  into  the  love  affairs  of  Katrina  Van  Tassel,  Marcus 
Van  Brunt  and  Ichabod  Crane,  and  so  weave  a  tale  of  Sleepy 


ON  THE  GREAT  TIDAL  EIVER  187 

Hollow.  And  no  sooner  had  the  idea  taken  possession  of  him 
than  he  hurried  home  and  began  to  write,  and  in  thirty-six 
hours  he  had  finished  one  of  the  most  charming  tales  he  ever 
wrote  or  I  ever  read. 

I  was  proud  enough  of  my  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Irving 
in  those  later  years,  for  in  my  youth  I  had  had  some  hanker 
ings  after  a  literary  life  myself,  and  had  tried  my  hand  at 
sonnets  and  a  tale  or  two.  But  I  had  given  them  up  long 
before  Mr.  Irving's  tale  saw  the  light  for  the  stirring  incidents 
of  a  soldier's  career,  and  later  for  the  quiet  life  of  a  country 
squire  at  Clover  Combe  Court,  but  I  still  felt  occasional  long 
ings  in  that  direction,  and  if  I  had  concluded  that  the  gift  of 
the  gods  was  not  mine,  it  still  pleased  me  greatly  to  number 
among  my  friends  a  man  who  could  stir,  with  his  gentle  art, 
to  laughter  or  to  tears,  as  he  willed. 

The  tide  and  the  breeze,  what  there  was  of  it,  had  been 
with  us  through  the  morning,  but  the  tide  had  turned  a  little 
after  midday  so  that  it  was  late  afternoon  by  the  time  we 
had  sailed  through  the  Tappan  Zee  and  through  a  second  and 
a  broader  lake,  and  were  entering  the  portals  of  the  High 
lands.  It  had  been  a  long  day  and  I  was  growing  restless, 
and  determined  on  trying  my  strength,  which  had  been  steadily 
gaining  through  the  day.  Miss  Desloge  had  long  since  left 
her  post  of  fanning,  and  Irving  had  soon  followed  her,  but  I 
could  hear  voices  behind  the  big  sail,  and  the  cool  breeze  that 
had  sprung  up  as  we  entered  the  shadow  of  the  great  hills  put 
energy  into  my  veins  and  enticed  me  to  my  feet,  to  find  the 
voices. 

If  I  had  been  a  ghost  I  could  hardly  have  made  more  of  a 
sensation  as  I  turned  the  end  of  the  boom  and  came  suddenly 
upon  them  grouped  on  the  wide  after  deck,  gazing  up  at  the 
mighty  Dunderberg  behind  us,  for  this  new  breeze  was  head 
on  and  we  were  now  tacking  across  and  up  the  river  straight 
for  another  great  mountain  that  Irving  called  St.  Anthony's 
Nose. 

Irving  and  Kemble  sprang  forward  to  offer  me  assistance 
and  Miss  Livingston  began  to  flutter  around  me  aimlessly,  as  if 


188  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

afraid  I  might  fall  in  pieces  if  she  touched  or  spoke  to  me, 
and  only  Mr.  Livingston  and  Miss  Desloge  sat  still. 

I  was  annoyed  at  so  much  fuss. 

"  Tush !  "  I  exclaimed,  rejecting  impatiently  Kemble's  and 
Irving's  outstretched  hands.  "  You  see  I  am  perfectly  well 
able  to  take  care  of  myself.  I  am  not  quite  a  Samson,  but  if 
Miss  Desloge  will  allow  me  a  seat  beside  her  on  the  bulwarks 
I  will  convince  you  that  I  am  no  longer  much  of  an  invalid." 

My  limbs  were  trembling  under  me,  and  I  think  Miss  Desloge 
discovered  that  I  was  not  as  strong  as  I  pretended,  and  there 
fore  reconsidered  her  first  impulse  to  receive  my  request  dis 
dainfully.  She  made  room  for  me  beside  her,  looking  up  at 
me  with  a  smile  that  brought  the  color  back  to  my  face  with 
a  rush  —  I  could  feel  it. 

"  \Ve  have  been  wishing  for  you,  Sir  Lionel,"  she  said  gently. 
"We  did  not  like  to  have  you  miss  these  grand  mountains. 
You  have  seen  the  Rhine,  have  you  not?  Is  it  as  beautiful 
as  this  ?  " 

"  Not  half  so  majestic,  not  nearly  so  impressive,"  I  an 
swered,  looking  back  at  the  dark  fir-clad  sides  of  the  Dunder- 
berg  and  forward  to  the  bold  outline  of  St.  Anthony's  Nose, 
toward  which  our  bellying  sails  were  sweeping  us  rapidly. 
"But  have  you  never  cccn  the  Ehine?"  I  added  curiously,  for 
she  seemed  to  me  like  a  young  woman  who  had  seen  everything 
and  done  everything  that  was  supposed  to  be  the  proper  thing 
for  a  young  woman  to  do.  "  How  does  it  happen  you  have 
never  made  the  grand  tour?  I  supposed  every  properly 
brought  up  young  lady  had  made  it." 

"  I  have  not  been  properly  brought  up,  I  suppose,"  she  said 
with  an  air  of  embarrassment  that  made  me  instantly  regret 
my  ill-timed  pleasantry.  I  ought  to  have  known  better  than  to 
make  such  a  speech  to  a  poor  young  woman,  dependent  on  her 
own  exertions  for  a  livelihood.  But  it  was  difficult  for  me 
to  think  of  Mademoiselle  Desloge  as  anything  less  than  a  duch 
ess  in  disguise,  she  was  such  a  regal  creature  in  face  and  form 
— •  yes,  and  in  manner,  too,  when  she  chose  to  be.  I  started 
to  apologize,  but  she  gave  me  no  chance. 


ON  THE  GREAT  TIDAL  RIVER  189 

"It  was  the  fault  of  the  time,  Sir  Lionel/'  she  said  gravely. 
"  Maidens  learned  to  do  without  many  tilings,  without  accom 
plishments  and  even  comforts  in  those  troubled  years  through 
which  I  was  growing  up  and  receiving  an  education.  Many 
of  us  would  have  been  thankful,  indeed,  if  we  could  have  kept 
our  friends  and  our  homes." 

Her  voice  betrayed  more  feeling  in  those  last  words  than 
she  liked,  for  she  added  quickly,  with  a  defiant  little,  ring  in 
her  tones,  "  Please  don't  think,  Sir  Lionel,  that  Miss  Living 
ston's  French  companion  is  making  a  bid  for  your  sympathy." 

Miss  Livingston  had  begun  to  sing  a  quaint  little  song  to 
a  catchy  air.  I  can  remember  none  of  the  words  but  the 
chorus,  in  which  the  three  gentlemen  joined,  and  from  a  little 
distance,  the  skipper  and  his  two  sailors,  and  from  the  gallery 
door,  Gumbo,  the  black  steward,  all  swelled  the  chorus.  It 
was  a  rollicking  song,  and  the  voices  and  the  harmony  were 
good,  but  I  liked  it  best,  because,  for  the  moment,  it  shut  Miss 
Desloge  and  me  off  to  ourselves. 

"  Forgive  me,  Mademoiselle,''  I  said  quickly :  "  it  was  a  rude 
question.  But  will  you  think  me  rude  if  I  ask  you  to  tell  me 
something  about  those  times.  Were  you  in  them?  Did  you 
suffer?" 

Xo  doubt  she  read  the  genuine  sympathy  in  my  voice,  for 
she  answered  me  simply  and  frankly : 

'*'  I  do  not  like  to  talk  or  even  think  of  them,  Sir  Lionel. 
I  was  a  very  little  girl  in  '93  and  my  friends  did  their  best 
to  keep  the  horror  of  it  away  from  me,  but  they  could  not 
keep  it  all.  I  went  to  sleep  at  night  in  terror  and  woke  in 
the  morning  in  fear  and  trembling.  One  morning  I  woke  up 
to  find  that  those  who  were  nearest  to  me  had  been  seized  and 
carried  away  in  the  night  and  —  they  never  returned.  Then 
I  was  placed  in  the  convent  of  Les  Sceurs  Angelique,  and 
there  I  stayed  until  a  few  months  before  I  came  to  earn  my 
living  in  America.  So  you  see,"  she  added,  with  a  struggle  to 
recover  her  lightness  of  manner,  "  there  was  no  chance  for  me 
to  make  the  *  grand  tour/  '' 

"  Les  Soeurs  Angelique !  "  I  repeated.     "  Did  you  ever  know 


190  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

a  little  girl  there  named  Eosie  Dufour?  It  seems  to  me  that 
was  the  convent  where  she  was  educated." 

"Rosamond  Dufour?  Was  she  a  freckled-faced,  red-headed 
little  girl,  awkward,  and  with  long  legs  and  arms  ?  " 

"  Certainly  she  was  not  beautiful  as  I  remember  her,  but 
I  was  only  a  boy  and  I  do  not  think  she  impressed  me  as  so 
ugly  as  you  describe  her.  I  was  very  fond  of  her  when  we 
were  children." 

"  Oh,  I  ought  not  to  call  her  ugly,"  Mademoiselle  exclaimed 
quickly.  "  She  was  a  friend  of  yours  and  she  was  one  of  my 
very  best  friends  all  the  years  I  was  in  the  convent.  But  cer 
tainly  no  one  could  call  her  beautiful  when  she  first  came,  and 
she  had  a  fiery  little  temper  that  matched  her  hair." 

"  How  did  you  learn  to  like  such  an  unattractive  little  crea 
ture  as  you  paint  her  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  was  so  sorry  for  her.  Her  friends,  too,  had  per 
ished  in  the  Terror  and  she  was  so  homesick  for  England,  for 
she  had  only  been  in  France  a  few  months.  She  slept  in  the 
crib  next  mine  in  the  children's  dormitory,  and  she  used  to 
cry  at  night,  but  so  quietly  no  one  heard  her  but  me.  Oh,  and 
there  was  a  little  boy  she  used  to  talk  of  and  wanted  to  see  — 
could  that  have  been  you  ?  " 

"  Did  she  never  call  my  name  ?  " 

"I  think  she  did,  but  that  was  so  long  ago.  She  did  not 
talk  of  you,  as  she  grew  older.  Ah,  I  know  now,  it  was  you, 
for  she  called  you  Lion." 

"  Poor  little  Eosie !  "  I  murmured,  and  could  have  wept  at 
the  thought  of  the  lonely  child.  "  When  did  you  see  her 
last?" 

"Not  so  long  ago.  She  was  in  the  convent  as  long  as  I 
was  there." 

"  Poor  Eosie ! "  I  said  again,  "  it  must  have  been  hard  to  be 
so  ugly  and  have  for  her  best  friend  such  a  b  — " 

I  was  thinking  aloud  and  I  brought  myself  up  short.  Made 
moiselle  understood  as  I  knew  from  the  bright  blush  that  leaped 
into  her  face,  and  her  hurried  way  of  speaking. 

"Oh,  but  you  must  not  think  she  grew  up  so  ugly.     I  am 


ON  THE  GREAT  TIDAL  RIVER  191 

sure  people  thought  her  quite  as  good-looking  as  her 
friend." 

"  Impossible ! "  I  murmured,  but  Miss  Desloge  refused  to 
take  any  notice  of  my  killing  glance,  and  just  then  Miss  Liv 
ingston  called  to  us : 

"  Come !  Mademoiselle  and  Sir  Lionel.  You  must  join  in 
the  chorus.  You  have  talked  long  enough." 

And  stumbling  over  the  outlandish  names  as  best  we  could, 
I  in  my  deep  counter  and  Mademoiselle  in  her  rich  contralto, 
we  did  our  best: 

"  West  Point  and  Middletown, 
Konnosook  and  Doodletown, 
Kakiak  and  Marmapaw, 
Stony  Point  and  Haverstraw." 

"  No  good  mariner  on  the  Hudson  ever  passes  the  Dunderberg 
without  singing  that  chorus,"  said  Miss  Livingston.  "  Doodle- 
town  is  just  behind  the  mountain  and  the  other  towns  are  not 
far  off.  Is  n't  it  a  delightful  song,  Sir  Lionel  ?  " 

"Very — "  I  began,  but  it  was  Mr.  Livingston  who  inter 
rupted  : 

"  Mademoiselle,"  he  said  gayly,  "  I  told  you  to  beware ;  there 
was  danger  among  so  many  sparlcs,  but  I  did  not  mean  by  that 
you  must  not  wear  Mr.  La  Force's  flowers.  What  have  you 
done  with  them  ?  " 

"  I  gave  them  to  Gumbo  to  put  in  water  for  me,"  answered 
Mademoiselle  carelessly,  but  with  a  steadily  deepening  color 
that  I  did  not  like. 


XVI 


PEEHAPS  it  was  because  of  my  weak  condition  that  trifles 
made  undue  impression  upon  me,  either  irritating  or 
worrying  me  as  their  nature  might  be.  It  was  extremely  irri 
tating  to  me  that  Mr.  La  Force  should  have  been  sending 
flowers  to  Mademoiselle;  evidently  their  acquaintance  had 
progressed  rapidly  during  my  illness.  And  it  was  still  more 
irritating  that  Mademoiselle  should  have  colored  in  that  con 
scious  fashion  at  the  mention  of  the  flowers.  But  for  that 
tell-tale  blush  I  might  have  fancied  it  a  matter  of  small  mo 
ment  in  which  Mademoiselle  was  as  little  interested  as  her 
words  were  intended  to  indicate. 

But  there  was  another  matter  that  troubled  me  even  more 
than  Mr.  La  Force's  flowers  —  this  was  a  subtle  change,  real 
or  fancied,  in  Mr.  Livingston's  manner  toward  me. 

In  all  his  intercourse  with  the  young  people  on  the  boat, 
he  was  full  of  a  genial  gayety  as  natural  to  him,  apparently, 
as  the  air  he  breathed.  Toward  me  alone  there  was  a  reserve 
and  gravity  of  demeanor  that  amounted  almost  to  constraint. 

This  would  not  have  seemed  so  noticeable,  I  might  have 
thought  it  due  to  the  fact  that  I  was  more  of  a  stranger  than  the 
others,  but  that,  until  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  he  had  been 
most  genially  cordial  to  me.  Indeed,  it  was  more  than  cor 
diality,  for  he  professed  unbounded  gratitude  for  what  he  was 
pleased  to  term  my  saving  of  his  life.  And  though  he  made 
his  protestations  in  that  gay,  half-jesting  manner  natural  to 
him,  he  repeated  them  so  frequently  and  made  them  the  excuse 
for  all  kinds  of  delicate  attentions  and  services  he  was  so  con 
tinually  rendering  me  that  I  could  not  doubt  his  sincerity. 
But  now  all  that  was  changed.  He  had  spent  several  hours 

192 


A  LETTER  FOE  THE  EARLY  MAIL  193 

of  the  day  before  at  his  office  for  the  first  time  since  his  ill 
ness,  and  returned  late  in  the  afternoon,  extremely  exhausted 
with  the  effort.  So  much  so,  in  fact,  that  he  retired  at  once 
to  his  room,  requesting  not  to  be  disturbed  at  supper  time.  I 
had  not  seen  him  again  until  we  were  ready  to  start  for  the 
sloop  in  the  morning,  but  it  had  seemed  to  me,  from  the  mo 
ment  of  his  first  greeting,  that  there  was  a  change  in  his  manner 
toward  me.  I  could  not  doubt  it  as  the  day  wore  on,  and  he 
alone,  of  the  little  party,  did  not  come  near  my  couch  to  en 
liven  an  invalid's  enforced  seclusion ;  and  almost  the  first  words 
he  had  addressed  to  me  through  the  long  day  were  uttered  a 
few  moments  after  his  pleasant  little  speech  to  Miss  Desloge. 

"  I  think,  Sir  Lionel,  that  you  have  tried  your  strength  as 
long  as  it  is  well.  I  would  advise  your  lying  down  again,"  he 
said. 

The  words  themselves  were  kind  enough,  but  the  manner  of 
their  utterance  was  so  formal  that  I  was  abashed.  I  was  feel 
ing  stronger  with  every  minute  that  I  sat  on  the  bulwarks 
beside  Miss  Desloge,  the  cool  evening  breeze,  which  had  sprung 
up  with  the  lengthening  shadows,  bringing  strength  and  heal 
ing  on  its  wings,  but  I  did  not  dare  object  to  his  suggestion, 
and  I  rose  to  my  feet  slowly.  Mr.  Irving,  looking  a  little  per 
plexed,  sprang  to  my  assistance. 

"  Let  me  give  you  an  arm,  Green,"  he  said,  and  as  we  walked 
away  together,  he  whispered  in  my  ear,  "  what  have  you  done 
to  the  mayor?  He  has  been  looking  like  a  thundercloud  all 
day." 

"  I  wish  to  Heaven  I  knew,"  I  answered  hotly.  "  Have  you 
no  suspicion,  Jonathan?" 

"  ISTot  in  the  least,  but  I  rather  think  Miss  Desloge  has." 

"  Miss  Desloge  !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Yes ;  didn't  you  look  at  the  two  ladies  when  Mr.  Livingston 
spoke  to  you?  Miss  Livingston  colored  and  looked  down,  the 
picture  of  embarrassment  for  her  uncle's  lack  of  cordiality: 
Miss  Desloge  looked  straight  at  you,  and  if  ever  I  saw  compre 
hension,  sympathy,  and  a  desire  to  animate  with  courage  in  a 
woman's  eyes  they  were  all  in  the  glance  she  bestowed  on  you." 
13 


194  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

I  had  seen  it  too  and  thrilled  under  it  while  I  did  not  un 
derstand  it.  I  was  hardly  surprised,  therefore,  that  she  fol 
lowed  us  almost  immediately,  and  I  could  hear  her  calling  to 
the  others: 

"  Come,  Miss  Livingston  and  Mr.  Kemble,  let  us  share  Sir 
Lionel's  exile.  I  think  he  needs  cheering  up  a  bit."  There 
was  a  little  defiant  ring  in  her  voice  as  she  said  it  that  I  have 
no  doubt  was  intended  for  Mr.  Livingston's  ears. 

The  others  did  not  come,  and  after  a  while  Irving  sauntered 
off  and  left  us  alone  together,  while  the  mighty  panorama  of 
the  hills  slowly  circled  about  us  as  we  tacked  and  retacked, 
sometimes  shutting  us  into  a  land-locked  bay  with  no  apparent 
egress  and  then  suddenly  disclosing  a  narrow  outlet  between  the 
bases  of  lofty  mountains,  cool  and  shadowy,  as  the  evening 
dews  began  to  fall. 

There  is  no  perceptible  current  in  this  great  river,  and  so 
wide  was  it  in  places,  that  with  the  bold  outline  of  the  hills, 
clad  in  rich  forests  towering  above  it,  it  was  more  like  a  chain 
of  beautiful  lakes  —  a  succession  of  Loch  Katrines  —  than  like 
any  mere  river  I  have  ever  seen.  And  yet,  surpassingly  beau 
tiful  as  it  was  it  could  not  entirely  enchain  my  eyes;  for  be 
side  me  sat  Miss  Desloge,  her  brown  eyes  lighting  with  won 
der,  her  face  glowing  with  the  beauty  reflected  from  river  and 
shore,  the  soft  air  setting  little  red  gold  tendrils  of  hair  curl 
ing  about  neck  and  brow,  and  what  man  could  have  spared  all 
his  glances  for  mere  scenery,  however  entrancing!  Once  when 
she  caught  me  looking  at  her  her  eyes  fell  and  a  quick  flush 
mounted  under  the  warm  white  skin. 

"  Miss  Desloge,"  I  said,  to  relieve  her  embarrassment  and 
my  own,  "  can  you  recall  that  jingle  we  were  singing  and  will 
you  write  it  down  for  me  ?  It  was  such  utter  nonsense  I  would 
like  to  keep  it." 

I  felt  in  my  pocket  for  tablet  and  pencil,  and  she  took  them 
and  wrote  it  out,  but  with  her  face  still  flushed  and  visibly 
embarrassed,  so  that  I  wondered  a  little.  As  I  folded  the  bit 
of  paper  away  in  my  pocket  she  looked  up  with  the  air  of  one 
taking  a  difficult  resolution. 


A  LETTER  FOE  THE  EAELY  MAIL  195 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  she  said,  hesitatingly,  "  Mr.  Irving  tells  me 
that  Mr.  Livingston  spent  yesterday  afternoon  in  his  office." 

"  Yes/'  I  said,  "  he  did,"  for  she  seemed  to  be  waiting  for 
me  to  say  something. 

"  Do  you  think  "-  —  still  more  hesitatingly  — "  that  would  ac 
count  for  his  manner  to-day  ?  " 

"  His  manner  has  not  been  peculiar,  has  it,  except  toward 
me,  perhaps  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  No,  only  to  you." 

"  I  can  hardly  see  how  a  visit  to  his  office  should  affect  his 
feeling  for  me." 

"  Do  you  —  quite  trust  —  Mr.  La  Force  ?  " 

"  Mr.  La  Force !  I  do  not  like  him,  but  I  know  of  no  reason 
for  distrusting  him.  Do  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no !  "  she  answered  quickly,  "  no  reason.  Only  an  in 
tuition." 

"  But  I  thought  you  were  great  friends !  He  sends  you 
flowers." 

"  Which  I  throw  into  the  river !  " 

I  smiled. 

"  That  is  what  you  meant  by  giving  them  to  Gumbo  to  put 
in  water  ?  " 

She  looked  up  at  me  with  the  familiar  twinkle. 

"  I  told  the  absolute  truth.  I  gave  them  to  Gumbo  and  told 
him  to  throw  them  into  the  river." 

That  little  talk  sent  my  spirits  up  many  degrees  and  as  the 
sun  sank  behind  the  western  hills  and  the  pale  orb  of  an  al 
most  full  moon  hung  suspended  over  the  brow  of  lofty  Mount 
Taurus  in  the  east,  and  the  supper  table  was  drawn  up  by  my 
couch  once  more  and  the  little  party  of  six  gathered  around 
it  for  the  evening  meal,  not  even  Mr.  Irving  was  in  a  gayer 
mood  than  I.  Gumbo  served  smoking  dishes  with  tantalizing 
odors,  and  for  the  sick  man  an  omelette  light  and  golden,  a 
slice  of  hot  toast  deliciously  browned,  and  a  cup  of  fragrant 
tea.  Mr.  Irving  told  tales  of  the  Highlands,  and  the  sloop 
skimmed  lightly  over  the  water,  every  sail  set  and  bending 
and  bowing  to  the  evening  breeze,  and  by  the  time  the  sun 


196  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

had  gone  quite  down  behind  Old  Cro's  Nest  and  the  moon  was 
well  up  over  the  shoulder  of  Taurus,  casting  bright  lights  and 
deep  shadows,  we  were  drawing  up  to  the  landing  at  West  Point. 

My  elation  did  not  leave  me  on  the  slow  drive  up  the  wind 
ing  and  picturesque  road  to  the  barracks  and  the  commandant's 
house  on  a  broad  plateau  several  hundred  feet  above  the  river. 
The  commandant  himself,  a  most  courteous  gentleman,  and 
Mayor  Livingston  were  in  the  carriage  with  me,  so  I  was  being 
treated  as  a  guest  of  honor;  and  though  I  would  have  liked 
better  to  be  beside  Miss  Desloge  in  that  other  carriage  behind, 
from  which  the  sound  of  merry  voices  and  occasional  peals  of 
laughter  rendered  it  difficult  for  me  at  times  to  make  suitable 
responses  to  the  commandant's  kind  inquiries  for  my  welfare, 
yet  I  was  still  too  elated  by  the  thought  of  Mr.  La  Force's 
flowers  flung  into  the  river  to  be  entirely  unhappy  under  my 
compulsory  honors. 

On  the  broad  plateau  at  the  top  of  the  drive,  the  cadets,  a 
little  company  of  fifty  or  sixty,  and  a  fine  soldierly-looking  lot 
of  young  fellows,  were  drawn  up  in  company  order  in  the  moon 
light  to  give  the  mayor  a  salute  of  honor.  It  occurred  to  me 
then,  as  it  has  occurred  to  me  often  since,  that  the  moonlight  is 
brighter  in  this  country  than  in  ours,  for  on  the  open  parade 
grounds  the  cadets  stood  out  more  distinctly  in  the  brilliant 
moonlight  than  they  might  have  done  on  many  a  foggy  Novem 
ber  day  in  England. 

Mayor  Livingston  had  to  make  them  a  speech,  and  in  the 
light  of  what  I  learned  later,  of  the  heavy  care  that  sat  brood 
ing  at  his  heart  that  day,  I  have  often  wondered  at  the  rollick 
ing  good  humor,  the  brilliant  wit,  and  the  patriotic  fire  he  put 
into  his  brief  sentences.  He  was  a  great  man,  and  in  spite  of 
my  feeling  that  in  some  way  - —  how,  I  could  not  guess  —  I  had 
come  under  the  ban  of  his  displeasure,  I  glowed  with  enthu 
siasm  at  his  words,  and  all  the  ardor  of  my  hero-worship,  which 
had  been  chilled  a  little  in  that  long  day  on  the  river,  revived 
with  full  force. 

The  cadets  received  his  speech  with  vigorous  cheers,  in  which 
the  occupants  of  the  two  carriages  joined  as  vigorously;  the 


A  LETTER  FOR  THE  EARLY  MAIL  197 

ladies  adding  the  eager  clapping  of  their  little  hands  to  swell 
the  chorus  of  the  men.  In  the  hall  of  the  commandant's 
house,  we  found  a  late  tea  awaiting  us,  which  I,  for  one,  was 
glad  to  see.  I  have  heard  that  not  all  the  American  houses 
have  our  English  meal  of  a  late  supper  and  that  an  English 
man  is  often  in  danger  of  going  to  bed  hungry  in  a  land  flow 
ing  with  milk  and  honey.  I  was  weary  enough  to  have  gone 
straight  to  my  bed,  but  a  bit  of  chicken,  a  biscuit  and  a  glass 
of  very  good  wine  made  me  forget  my  fatigue  and  I  was  glad 
of  a  chance  for  another  word  with  Mademoiselle  before  we  sep 
arated  for  the  night. 

I  found  my  chance  and  began  straightway : 

"  Mademoiselle,  there  is  something  I  want  to  say  to  you, 
something  I  was  about  to  ask  you  when  Gumbo  interrupted  us 
with  supper  on  the  boat." 

"  Was  it  about  Mr.  La  Force  ?  "  she  asked  quickly. 

"Yes." 

"  Please  don't  ask  me.  I  have  been  regretting  that  I  spoke 
as  I  did.  I  had  no  right  to  arouse  your  suspicions.  It  was 
neither  discreet  nor  friendly  of  me." 

"  I  thought  it  very  friendly,  to  me." 

"  But  not  to  Mr.  La  Force." 

"  Oh !     You  regard  him  as  a  friend  ?  " 

She  colored  with  vexation. 

"I  have  no  right  to  treat  him  otherwise,  no  matter  how  I 
may  regard  him,  since  he  has  always  shown  himself  friendly  to 
me,"  she  answered  frigidly. 

"  Certainly  not,"  I  replied  as  coldly,  and  the  commandant's 
wife,  a  very  gracious  lady,  coming  up  to  me  with  a  bed  candle 
in  her  hand  and  giving  me  many  motherly  precautions  as  to 
the  night  air,  I  said  good  night  to  her  and  to  Miss  Desloge  and 
went  upstairs,  with  Irving,  in  a  very  different  frame  of  mind 
from  the  joyful  one  in  which  I  had  entered  that  house. 

As  we  started  for  the  staircase,  curving  up  from  one  end  of 
the  wide  hall,  the  commandant  called  after  us. 

"  Young  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  if  you  would  like  to  send  any 
letters  back  to  the  city,  I  have  an  orderly  starting  for  New 


198  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

York  early  in  the  morning.  As  he  will  probably  set  out  be 
fore  you  are  up,  anything  you  want  to  go  you  must  lay  on  the 
hall  table  to-night.  You  will  find  writing  materials  in  your 
rooms/' 

We  thanked  him,  but  I,  for  one,  had  no  letters  to  send  back, 
and  only  longed  to  be  in  bed  and  forget  in  sleep  Miss  Desloge 
and  Mr.  La  Force,  yes,  and  every  American  I  had  met,  I  was 
ready  to  add  in  my  present  irritable  and  unreasoning  frame  of 
mind. 

But  sleep  was  long  in  coming  and  when  it  came  it  brought 
with  it  fretful  and  troubled  dreams  that  were  more  harassing 
than  my  waking  thoughts.  I  had  opened  my  eyes  many  times 
through  the  night  only  to  find  the  moonlight  still  flooding  the 
room.  When  I  opened  them  at  last  and  saw  through  a  window 
looking  toward  the  east  that  Mount  Taurus  was  standing  out 
grim  and  black  against  the  background  of  the  gray  dawn,  I 
was  glad  the  long  night  was  over,  and  slipping  quietly  from  my 
bed  and  into  my  clothes,  so  as  not  to  disturb  Irving,  I  stole 
down  stairs  and  out  into  the  dew-drenched  morning. 

No  spirit  of  unrest  could  withstand  the  beauty  and  the  glory 
of  that  wonderful  dawn.  All  night  I  had  been  questioning 
myself:  Was  I  falling  in  love  with  Miss  Desloge?  Had  I 
any  right  to  do  so  ?  And  if  I  had  was  she  not  a  born  coquette, 
playing  with  me,  while  really  interested  in  Mr.  La  Force? 

But  however  I  might  answer  the  first  two  questions,  the  peace 
of  the  morning  answered  the  last  for  me.  With  all  the  high 
canopy  of  heaven  catching  the  rose  tints  from  the  flaming  nim 
bus  about  Mount  Taurus'  hoary  crest  and  reflecting  them  in 
the  still  waters  below  that  lay  motionless  and  dark  as  a  moun 
tain  tarn,  guarded  by  Taurus  and  Breakneck  mountain  on  the 
east  and  on  the  west  by  Old  Cro's  Nest  and  Storm  King;  in 
the  heart  of  all  this  more  than  earthly  splendor,  the  very  air 
about  me  palpitating  and  glowing  with  beauty,  it  was  impos 
sible  to  doubt  Miss  Desloge.  I  turned  toward  the  house  as  the 
glow  began  to  fade  from  mountain  peak  and  mountain  tarn, 
happy  in  the  blessedness  of  being  alive  on  such  a  morning,  with 
youth  and  love  to  make  life  bright  with  promise. 


A  LETTER  FOR  THE  EARLY  MAIL  199 

In  coming  through  the  hall,  a  half  hour  before,  it  had  been 
too  dark  to  see  objects  distinctly,  but  I  had  noted  that  on  the 
table  but  one  letter  lay  awaiting  the  orderly's  early  morning 
start.  Only  one  of  the  commandant's  guests,  evidently,  had 
availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  for  sending  mail  to  New 
York.  On  my  return  to  the  house  the  outer  door  stood  open 
and  the  first  rays  of  the  rising  sun  were  penetrating  every 
nook  and  corner  of  the  wide  hall.  The  letter  still  lay  on  the 
table,  but  the  orderly  was  following  close  behind  me  and  took 
it  up  from  under  my  eyes  as  I  passed.  But  not  before  my 
glance  had  involuntarily  fallen  upon  the  superscription  and 
recognized  it. 

It  was  addressed  to  "MR.  GASTON  LA  FORCE,  FED 
ERAL  HALL,  NEW  YORK  CITY,"  and  no  man  had  penned 
that  superscription.  Moreover,  I  had  seen  that  writing  but 
once  before,  yet  well  I  knew  that  all  its  flowing  characters  were 
identical  with  the  lines  on  the  folded  bit  of  paper  lying  near 
my  heart,  the  idle  rhyme: 

"  West  Point  and  Middletown, 
Konnosook  and  Doodletown, 
Kakiak  and  Marniapaw, 
Stony  Point  and  Haverstraw." 


XVII 

HOPE   RIDES   WITH   ME   TO   MONTGOMERY   PLACE 

I  HAD  been  nearly  a  week  in  Clermont,  and  in  all  that  time 
I  had  not  once  lapsed  from  the  air  of  dignified  courtesy 
toward  Mademoiselle  Desloge  that  I  had  prescribed  for  myself 
as  I  climbed  the  stairs  to  my  room  that  early  morning  in  West 
Point.  I  had  said  to  myself  then  —  she  is  a  born  coquette, 
French  to  her  heart's  core;  there  can  be  no  sympathy  between 
her  and  an  Anglo-Saxon  reared  to  esteem  sincerity  the  highest 
of  all  virtues. 

Moreover  I  had  said  to  myself  —  Why  should  I  be  caught  the 
second  time  in  the  lure  of  any  woman?  Have  I  not  had  my 
lesson?  I  am  here  for  adventure,  not  for  love,  and  as  long  as 
I  remain  on  American  soil,  I  will  not  think  twice  of  any 
maiden.  Let  her  have  her  Frenchman  —  they  are  of  kindred 
blood.  As  for  me,  when  I  fall  in  love,  it  shall  be  with  some 
true-hearted  English  girl,  or  not  at  all. 

They  were  brave  words,  bravely  spoken  —  or  bravely  thought 
—  but  they  were  hard  to  live  up  to.  Hard  when,  as  often 
happened,  Mademoiselle  was  the  center  of  attraction  to  some 
little  circle  of  admirers,  hanging  on  her  lips  for  her  gay  smiles 
and  witty  words;  harder  still,  when,  as  sometimes  happened,  I 
was  left  alone  with  her  and  all  her  gay  spirits  fell  away  from 
her  and  she  was  gently  solicitous  for  my  health,  or  spirits,  with 
a  soft  little  air  of  deprecating  my  displeasure  (which  she 
seemed  to  recognize),  that  was  very  hard  indeed  to  resist; 
hardest  of  all,  when,  as  happened  more  than  once,  Miss  Living 
ston  was  imperious  or  capricious  with  her ;  and  to  be  the  witness 
of  the  painful  flush  of  wounded  pride  and  self-esteem,  or  worse, 
the  quivering  lip  of  hurt  sensibilities,  was  almost  more  than  mor 
tal  man  could  withstand.  And  yet  I  hardened  my  heart  and 

200 


HOPE  RIDES  WITH  ME  201 

treated  her  coldly,  for  had  I  not  seen  with  my  own  eyes  her  let 
ter  to  La  Force,  and  known  that  she  must  have  sat  up  until  the 
midnight  hour  to  write  it? 

The  Livingstons  owned  several  great  places  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  Clermont  and  by  this  time  I  had  recovered  my  strength 
sufficiently  for  riding  (for  the  fine  air  was  in  itself  the  best  of 
tonics),  and  it  was  proposed  that  we  should  visit  the  family 
places  in  turn,  beginning  with  Montgomery  Place,  belonging 
to  Mr.  Livingston's  sister,  a  few  miles  farther  down  the  river. 
I  had  brought  Saladin  with  me  and  I  had  also  brought  from 
the  City  Tavern  a  mulatto  boy  who  had  taken  a  great  fancy 
to  Saladin  —  which  the  horse  seemed  to  return  —  and  who  had 
taken  entire  charge  of  him  during  my  illness.  I  was  finding 
him  useful  also  as  valet  for  he  was  as  nimble-fingered  in  brush 
ing  and  polishing  and  in  tying  ribbons  and  lacers  as  he  was 
firm-handed  with  bit  and  bridle,  and  this  in  my  semi-invalid 
condition  I  found  no  small  convenience. 

The  ride  to  Montgomery  Place  was  rather  long  for  an  in 
valid,  Mr.  Livingston  said,  for  as  an  invalid  he  persisted  in 
regarding  me,  and  we  were  to  make  the  start  immediately 
after  breakfast  that  we  might  take  it  in  a  leisurely  fashion 
with  intervals  for  rest.  I  was  as  eager  for  the  expedition  as 
any  boy,  for  it  was  to  be  my  first  ride  in  weeks,  and  my  strength 
and  spirits  had  waxed  rapidly  in  the  last  few  days.  Our  way 
lay  through  an  enchanting  country,  along  the  old  Post  Eoad 
from  Albany,  with  the  noble  river  on  our  right;  over  hills  and 
valleys,  across  winding  streams  and  by  picturesque  falls,  and 
through  forests  already  beginning  to  show  glimpses  of  that 
wonderful  color,  scarlet  and  gold,  that  was  soon  to  make  them 
a  blaze  of  beauty  almost  inconceivable  to  my  Englishman's 
experience.  More  than  all,  the  air  was  like  wine,  with  just  a 
hint  of  frost  in  it  and  of  an  intoxicating  quality  new  to  my 
senses,  and  that  I  have  no  doubt  was  largely  responsible  for  the 
exhilaration  of  my  spirits  as  the  little  cavalcade  cantered  gayly 
down  the  long  avenue  of  maples  and  through  the  park-like 
grounds  of  Clermont. 

Certainly  Miss  Desloge  had  nothing  to  do  with  my  sense 


202  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

of  elation.  I  was  not  riding  by  her  side,  and  Mr.  Livingston 
was.  And  since  Mr.  Livingston  was  still  a  young  and  attractive 
man  and  a  widower,  and  evidently  much  charmed  with  the  beau 
tiful  Frenchwoman  —  who  in  her  turn  seemed  not  ill  pleased 
with  his  attentions  —  I  ought  to  have  been  suffering  the  pangs 
of  jealousy,  I  suppose,  and  no  doubt  would  have  been  but  for  the 
stern  resolution  I  had  taken  at  West  Point.  As  it  was,  Irving 
and  I  were  racing  ahead  of  the  little  party  and  then  dashing 
back  upon  them,  making  a  great  display  of  our  horsemanship 
and  a  greater  display  of  hilarity  which  was  not  entirely  forced 
on  my  part  (it  was  not  at  all  forced  on  Irving's,  he  was  always 
jovial),  but  it  was  not  entirely  forced  on  my  part,  since  the 
sight  of  Miss  Desloge,  in  her  flowing  habit  of  hunter's  green, 
a  dark  green  plume  mingling  with  the  waving  mane  of  her  hair, 
burnished  like  copper,  and  riding  a  spirited  horse  with  perfect 
ease  and  skill;  the  sight  of  all  this  loveliness,  and  none  of  it 
for  me,  acted  on  my  spirits  much  as  a  goad  acts  on  a  mettled 
steed  —  it  rendered  them  for  the  time  being,  wild  and  uncon 
trollable. 

Even  Irving  began  to  wonder  at  me  at  last. 

"  What  ails  you  this  morning,  Green  ? "  he  asked  finally. 
"  You  are  acting  more  like  one  of  our  wild  Hurons  than  like  a 
sedate  young  English  baronet." 

The  answer  I  made  was  to  dare  him  to  a  leap  across  a  little 
stream  on  whose  banks  we  had  drawn  rein.  The  road  wound 
down  through  a  ford  but  where  we  stood  the  banks  were  high 
and  steep  and  rocky  and  a  good  twenty  feet  across. 

"  Are  you  mad,  Green  ?  "  was  all  his  answer ;  and  the  others 
coming  up  at  that  moment,  he  turned  to  Miss  Desloge. 

"What  have  you  done  to  Sir  Lionel,  Miss  Desloge,  that  he 
should  be  wishing  to  commit  suicide  ?  "  he  asked.  "  He  is  dar 
ing  me  to  leap  across  White  Clay  Kill,  and  kill  it  would  be  for 
himself  and  Saladin,  too,  if  he  attempted  it." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  said  Miss  Desloge  coolly ;  "  it 's  hard  to 
kill  some  people,  you  know,  Mr.  Irving." 

Her  tone,  not  her  words,  stung  me,  and  I  was  mad  that  morn 
ing,  as  Irving  said. 


HOPE  EIDES  WITH  ME  203 

"  If  they  are  born  to  be  hung,  I  suppose  you  mean,  Made 
moiselle  ?  Thanks  for  your  courtesy !  "  I  exclaimed  with  more 
bitterness  than  the  occasion  would  seem  to  warrant. 

"  As  you  please,  Sir  Lionel/'  she  returned  coldly.  "  I  did 
not  say  that." 

"  Perhaps  you  think  — "  I  spoke  with  a  half  sneer  and  I 
had  entirely  forgotten  there  were  any  listeners  —  "  Perhaps 
you  think  I  was  making  an  idle  boast  and  that  I  would  not 
dare  attempt  the  leap  ?  I  will  show  Mademoiselle  that  English 
men  always  mean  what  they  say." 

I  turned  Saladin  back  as  I  spoke  so  as  to  get  a  better  start 
that  he  might  make  a  running  jump,  for  it  was  indeed  an  ugly 
chasm,  and  I  would  give  him  every  advantage.  As  I  turned, 
her  voice  rang  out  clear  and  startling: 

"  If  you  do,  Sir  Lionel,  I  will  follow  you  on  Blackbird ! " 

I  did  not  for  a  moment  dream  that  she  would,  and  I  answered 
her  only  by  a  laugh  of  derision.  In  a  moment  I  wheeled 
Saladin  and  carne  thundering  down  toward  them  and  as  I 
passed  I  could  see  her  sitting  Blackbird,  a  figure  carved  in 
marble,  so  white  was  she,  but  her  eyes,  naming  coals  of  fire. 
Saladin  hesitated  not  a  moment  at  the  yawning  chasm  but 
gathered  his  feet  up  under  him  and  went  over  it  as  if  shot 
from  a  bow,  landing  well  on  the  farther  side  a  good  two  feet 
from  the  brink. 

I  rather  expected  applause  for  my  dare-devil  feat,  from 
Irving  at  least,  and  I  turned  to  receive  it;  but  as  I  turned,  my 
blood  froze  in  my  veins.  Miss  Desloge  was  in  the  act  of  wheel 
ing  Blackbird  for  the  same  mad  leap. 

"  Stop  her !  "  I  shouted  frantically,  but  so  quick  had  been 
her  movement  and  so  slow  were  they  in  comprehending  it,  and 
so  frozen  with  horror  when  they  did,  that  no  one  moved  a 
muscle. 

I  sprang  from  the  saddle  and  stood  ready  to  spring  to  Black 
bird's  bridle  should  she  need  it,  and  in  that  dreadful  moment, 
with  every  muscle  tense,  every  nerve  quivering  with  horror, 
my  Welsh  inheritance  took  possession  of  me.  It  was  no  longer 
Miss  Desloge  for  whose  awful  leap  on  Blackbird  I  was  waiting, 


204:  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

it  was  the  little  Eosie  lying  bruised  and  stunned  in  the  ditch 
with  Snowball. 

I  had  to  clear  my  brain  with  an  effort,  for  at  that  moment 
Blackbird  with  her  rider  rose  in  the  air  and  it  seemed  to  me 
that  I  could  tell  from  the  way  she  rose  that  she  was  not  going 
to  clear  the  chasm.  This  was  no  little  ditch  such  as  Eosie 
Dufour  and  her  pony  fell  into,  it  was  a  rocky  abyss,  a  fall 
into  whose  depths  meant  certain  death  to  horse  and  rider.  How 
I  cursed  my  folly!  Yes  and  came  near  cursing  hers  also. 
How  could  she  have  been  so  mad !  I  hardly  dared  breathe  lest 
any  slightest  movement  of  mine  should  cause  horse  and  rider 
to  swerve,  but  I  stood  with  every  faculty  alert,  every  muscle 
tightened  for  the  spring,  when  the  moment  should  arrive.  It 
was  the  agony  of  a  lifetime,  compressed  into  the  brief  seconds 
required  for  the  leap.  Blackbird's  forefeet  reached  solid  ground 
but  her  hind  hoofs  clattered  on  the  rocky  brink  and  struggling 
desperately  she  began  to  slip  backward.  Still  almost  afraid 
to  move  lest,  startling  the  mare,  I  should  make  her  lose  her 
equilibrium,  I  nevertheless  made  one  swift  spring  and  clutched 
the  bridle.  With  all  my  weight  pulling  her  strongly  forward 
and  my  voice  encouraging  her,  she  struggled  up  the  bank  and 
stood  quivering  with  terror  under  the  chestnut  tree  to  which  I 
led  her  a  few  rods  away. 

Not  until  I  had  quieted  the  horse  did  I  look  up  at  Miss 
Desloge. 

"  Will  you  get  down,  Mademoiselle  ? "  I  asked,  extending 
my  arms  to  assist  her  in  dismounting,  and  wishing  with  all 
my  heart  that  I  had  the  inches  and  the  strength  of  my  big 
Philadelphia  friend,  that  I  might  have  lifted  her  from  her  sad 
dle  without  stopping  to  question  her.  But  she  did  not  demur. 
I  had  spoken  sternly,  for  only  so  could  I  command  my  voice 
to  speak  at  all.  Mademoiselle  was  very  white,  but  she  was  not 
trembling  as  I  was  trembling.  She  did  not  answer  me  but 
she  put  out  her  arms  and  I  lifted  her  from  her  saddle  and  set 
her  on  the  ground  beside  me  and  for  one  unconscious  moment 
I  did  not  let  her  go. 

The  rest  of  the  party  on  the  other  side  of  the  chasm  had 


HOPE  RIDES  WITH  ME  205 

waited  breathless  until  they  saw  that  Mademoiselle  was  safe,  and 
now  were  out  of  sight  behind  the  bluff  hurrying  down  to  the 
ford.  With  my  arm  still  clasping  Mademoiselle  closely,  and 
hardly  conscious  of  it,  my  whole  soul  so  devoutly  thankful  for 
her  safety,  and  trembling  yet  at  the  thought  of  what  she  had  so 
narrowly  escaped,  I  stood  looking  down  at  her  and  uttered  not 
a  word.  She  was  no  longer  white;  the  color  was  rushing  back 
to  her  face  in  a  flood.  Neither  was  she  any  longer  so  coldly 
unmoved.  At  last  she  was  trembling;  her  little  chin  was  quiv 
ering  and  the  tears  were  slowly  brimming  her  brown  eyes. 

"  Will  you  ever  forgive  me,  Sir  Lionel  ?  "  she  whispered. 

Forgive  her !  It  was  I  who  had  so  madly  risked  my  own 
life  and  so  wickedly  induced  her  to  imperil  hers.  Could  I 
ever  forgive  myself?  And  where  were  the  stern  resolutions 
I  had  taken  in  West  Point!  All  my  soul  was  longing  to  draw 
her  to  my  heart;  to  tell  her  I  loved  her  madly,  foolishly  but 
devotedly;  to  beg  her  to  forget  my  folly  and  to  crown  my  life 
with  her  love.  In  another  moment  I  would  have  cast  all 
prudence  to  the  winds;  all  my  promises  to  my  father  and  all 
my  doubts  of  the  beautiful  Frenchwoman,  and  my  suspicions 
of  her  relations  to  the  handsome  La  Force.  But  in  that  very 
moment  there  were  shouts  from  the  ford  below.  I  glanced 
over  my  shoulder;  the  whole  party  led  by  Mr.  Livingston  were 
coming  rapidly  up  the  steep  incline  toward  us.  Miss  Desloge 
sprang  quickly  away  from  me,  but  only  within  arm's  length, 
and  as  the  shouts  and  the  clatter  of  hoofs  came  rapidly  nearer, 
she  asked  me  again : 

"Can  you  forgive  me?" 

"  Mademoiselle,"  I  said,  "  it  is  very  hard  when  I  remember 
how  nearly  you  lost  your  life." 

"  But  I  only  followed  you."  She  looked  up,  a  twinkling 
smile  struggling  with  her  tears.  "  And  I  told  you  I  would." 

"  I  forgive  you  this  time,"  I  answered,  smiling  back  at  her 
and  speaking  softly,  "  if  you  will  promise  always  to  follow  me. 
Will  you  ?  " 

She  looked  up,  but  not  at  me.  She  was  all  rosy  red,  but 
her  voice  was  calmness  itself. 


206  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"I  was  very  silly  and  very  foolhardy,  Mr.  Livingston,"  she 
said  deprecatingly.  "  I  hope  you  and  Miss  Livingston  will 
excuse  me.  I  fear  it  is  my  temperament,  never  to  be  willing 
to  see  anyone  attempt  a  daring  feat  without  trying  to  do  the 
same." 

And  Mr.  Livingston,  looking  down  on  her  from  his  horse, 
and  smiling  fatuously,  as  all  men  smiled  on  her,  turned  sternly 
to  me: 

"  Sir  Lionel,  you  are  greatly  to  blame." 

I  bowed  my  head  to  his  censure  which  I  knew  I  richly  de 
served,  but  I  cared  but  little  for  it,  for  the  heart  within  me  was 
singing  a  song  sweeter  and  more  exultant  than  it  had  sung  for 
many  a  day. 


XVIII 

DESPAIR   RETURNS   WITH    ME   TO    CLERMONT 

I  DID  not  ride  by  Miss  Desloge  much  of  the  way  to  Mont 
gomery  Place,  and  when  I  did,  Mr.  Livingston  was  on  her 
other  side  keeping  jealous  guard,  so  that  I  began  to  wonder 
whether  he  was  guarding  Mademoiselle  for  himself  or  against 
me.  It  almost  looked  like  the  latter,  for,  when  Irving  rode 
up  beside  her,  Mr.  Livingston  often  fell  back  and  gave  place, 
but  never  to  me. 

This  began  to  be  annoying,  and  there  was  so  much  I  wanted 
to  say  to  Mademoiselle,  and  that  was  pounding  at  the  portals 
of  my  lips  for  utterance,  that  I  found  his  surveillance  very 
hard  to  brook.  Yet  it  had  one  result  that  perhaps,  after  all, 
was  for  the  best;  it  gave  me  time  to  think.  For  I  could  think 
while  Miss  Livingston  was  talking  to  me,  or  Kemble,  or  Irving. 
I  could  have  done  nothing  but  feel,  blindly  and  uncontrollably, 
and  no  doubt  would  have  spoken  rashly  and  unwisely  had  I 
been  beside  Miss  Desloge  with  none  to  hear. 

It  gave  me  time  to  remember  my  promise  to  my  father. 
What  was  I  to  do  about  it !  I  had  gone  too  far  in  that  moment 
when,  with  my  arm  about  Mademoiselle,  I  had  looked  into  her 
eyes  with  all  my  heart  in  mine,  not  to  go  farther.  I  was  bound 
in  honor  to  her,  but  I  was  also  bound  in  honor  to  my  father. 

There  was  but  one  thing  to  do.  Somehow  I  must  manage 
to  ride  alone  with  Miss  Desloge  on  our  return  from  Montgomery 
Place  and  I  would  make  a  clean  breast  to  her.  I  would  tell  her 
about  Peggy  and  how  bitterly  I  regretted  my  foolishness,  and 
how  I  was  bound  by  my  promise  to  my  father  never  again  to 
engage  myself  in  marriage  without  his  consent.  But  I  would 
tell  her,  also;  that  there  could  be  no  doubt  in  the  world  of  my 
father's  approval,  could  he  but  see  and  know  her;  and  since 

207 


208  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

that  was  impossible,  I  still  thought  his  consent  would  readily 
be  given  when  I  should  write  him  and  tell  him  all  about  her. 
If  necessary,  I  would  ask  Mr.  Livingston  to  write  also,  or  Miss 
Livingston,  since  the  word  of  either  would  carry  great  weight 
with  my  father;  though  I  confess  I  was  troubled  a  little  when 
I  thought  of  asking  either  of  them,  at  the  uncomfortable  re 
membrance  that  Mr.  Livingston  seemed  antagonistic  to  me  (per 
haps  because  he  desired  Miss  Desloge  for  himself)  and  Miss 
Livingston  had  so  frequently  shown  herself  arbitrary  and  un 
kind  to  Mademoiselle —  (could  it  be  because  she  had  any 
designs  on  me?).  Oh,  the  conceit  of  youth! 

Nevertheless,  having  determined  on  my  line  of  action,  I  was 
happy,  although  no  longer  elated,  and  I  rode  along  soberly  but 
cheerfully  to  Montgomery  Place.  Now  I  had  greatly  liked 
every  member  of  the  Livingston  family  I  had  met;  even  Miss 
Livingston,  when  she  was  not  hectoring  Miss  Desloge,  could 
be  most  charming;  but  Mrs.  Montgomery,  whom  I  had  been 
most  anxious  to  see  as  the  widow  of  the  great  general  and 
martyr,  one  of  my  heroes  of  history,  proved  to  be  more  charm 
ing  than  any  of  the  family  I  had  met  so  far.  She  was  stand 
ing  on  the  broad  piazza  of  her  house,  facing  the  lawns  sloping 
down  to  the  great  river  and  the  blue  line  of  the  Catskills  across 
the  river.  She  was  waiting  to  receive  us  as  we  cantered  up 
the  driveway,  and  she  knew  how  to  be  grande  dame  and  cordial 
hostess  in  one,  for  in  a  moment  she  had  made  the  two  strangers 
of  the  party,  Miss  Desloge  and  myself,  as  perfectly  at  home  as 
if  we  had  been  old  friends.  By  her  side  stood  my  young  friend, 
William  Jay,  who  came  eagerly  forward,  as  soon  as  he  had  per 
formed  his  shy  and  blushing  devoirs  to  Miss  Desloge,  to  greet 
Saladin  and  me.  I  was  glad  to  see  the  boy's  bright  face  again, 
and  I  told  him  that  when  he  came  over  to  Clermont  he  should 
try  Saladin,  and  perhaps  he  would  want  to  take  him  home  with 
him. 

We  had  passed,  on  our  way  up  to  the  house,  a  pompous- 
looking  man  and  a  rather  haughty-looking  lady  driven  in  a 
curricle  by  a  coachman  in  livery,  and  when  our  greetings  were 
well  over  Mr.  Livingston  turned  to  his  sister : 


DESPAIE  EETUENS  WITH  ME  TO  CLEEMONT      209 

"Was  that  not  Mr.  Livingston  Burrows  and  his  wife  that 
we  met  just  driving  out  as  we  came  in  ?  "  he  asked  her. 

"  It  was  indeed/'  she  answered. 

"  I  am  surprised  you  did  not  ask  them  to  stay  to  dinner," 
said  her  brother  in  mild  reproof. 

"  Oh,  Edward ! "  she  shrugged  her  shoulders  impatiently ; 
"  I  was  so  sick  of  them !  They  spent  the  night  here  and  I 
have  been  all  morning  trying  to  get  rid  of  them  before  you 
should  arrive.  They  are  so  stupid,  and  you  know  we  are  not 
used  to  dull  people  in  our  family.  I  can't  stand  them." 

Mr.  Livingston  laughed.  He  knew  his  sister  and  he  knew 
she  was  right  —  they  were  not  used  to  dull  people  in  the  Liv 
ingston  family  and  had  but  little  patience  with  stupidity  of 
any  kind.  I  began  to  wonder  if  it  was  because  Mr.  Livingston 
had  found  me  dull  that  he  had  so  changed  in  his  manner  to  me, 
and  I  longed  greatly  to  acquit  myself  with  credit  at  Mrs.  Mont 
gomery's  table,  to  which  we  were  shortly  summoned,  both  be 
cause  I  did  not  want  to  bore  that  lady,  whose  animated  face 
and  gracious  manner  had  won  my  liking  at  once,  and  because 
I  more  than  ever  desired  to  shine  in  Miss  Desloge's  eyes.  But 
for  both  of  these  reasons,  I  believe,  I  was  under  more  than 
usual  constraint,  and  while  I  never  made  a  greater  effort  to  be 
entertaining,  I  believe  I  never  made  a  greater  failure  of  it. 
Mrs.  Montgomery,  however,  at  whose  right  I  sat,  did  not  seem 
to  think  so;  she  laughed  at  all  my  small  jokes,  some  of  which 
she  repeated  to  the  table,  and  she  constantly  drew  me  out  on 
my  life  at  home,  in  which  she  professed  the  deepest  interest. 
What  pleased  me  still  more,  as  an  evidence  of  her  friendliness, 
she  talked  much  of  her  "  Soldier  boy,"  as  she  called  her  hero- 
husband,  and  told  me  many  thrilling  tales  of  his  bravery,  and 
the  sad  one  of  his  gallant  death  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham. 
She  was  altogether  charming,  and  I  wished  with  all  my  heart 
that  I  could  have  been  more  brilliant  to  please  her. 

But  if  I  was  dull,  Mademoiselle  was  not.     I  had  never  known 

her  anything  else  than  wise  and  witty  in  her  conversation,  but 

she  was  outdoing  herself  to-day,  fairly  sparkling  with  a  saucy 

humor  that  I  could  see  Mr.  Livingston  and  Mr.  Irving  were 

14 


210  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

finding  very  enchanting;  and  young  Will  was  hanging  on  her 
lips  like  one  bewitched.  I  wondered  if  it  was  the  excitement 
of  her  ride  and  its  perilous  adventure  that  was  making  her 
even  more  brilliant  than  usual  and  I  knew  very  well  that  her 
brilliancy  was  partially  responsible  for  my  stupidity  —  it  was 
impossible  not  to  have  one  ear  strained  to  catch  the  speeches 
that  kept  her  end  of  the  table  so  hilarious,  while  trying  with 
the  other  to  be  dutifully  attentive  to  Mrs.  Montgomery. 

Mrs.  Montgomery's  dinner  was  like  most  of  the  dinners  I 
had  had  in  America.,  very  good  indeed.  The  American  cookery 
is  more  French  than  English,  with  many  dishes  that  are  neither 
French  nor  English  but  altogether  delightful,  and  I  confess 
to  a  keen  enjoyment  of  the  pleasures  of  the  table.  Yet  I  was 
not  sorry  when  the  dinner  was  ended.  It  was  nearly  five  o'clock 
when  we  men,  counting  Will  as  a  man,  followed  the  ladies  into 
the  drawing-room  for  coffee.  The  days  were  growing  shorter 
and  I  was  anxious  to  be  on  that  homeward  ride  before  dark, 
for  I  was  determined  to  secure  Mademoiselle  for  part  of  it, 
since  I  had  much  to  say  to  her.  It  was  half  past  five  by  the 
time  we  were  started  and  I  found  myself  riding  with  young 
Will  Jay,  who  had  accepted  Miss  Livingston's  invitation  to 
Clermont  eagerly,  as  much  I  believe  for  the  sake  of  Miss  Desloge 
as  for  the  chance  of  a  ride  on  Saladin. 

But  if  I  was  riding  with  Will  the  first  part  of  the  way,  I 
had  a  very  definite  plan  in  mind  by  which  I  should  secure 
Mademoiselle  for  the  latter  part  of  the  ride.  I  did  not  put  it 
into  execution  until  we  arrived  at  the  ford  over  White  Clay 
Kill.  Miss  Desloge  and  Mr.  Livingston  were  in  advance,  but 
their  horses  stopped  to  drink  at  the  ford,  as  did  the  other  horses 
as  they  came  up.  I  rode  into  the  water  and  checked  Saladin 
by  the  side  of  Blackbird. 

"  Miss  Desloge,"  I  said  loud  enough  to  be  sure  that  Mr. 
Livingston  heard,  "  I  have  an  idea  that  Blackbird  and  Saladin 
are  the  fleetest  horses  here.  Will  you  ride  forward  with  me 
and  put  it  to  the  proof  after  we  have  crossed  the  kill  ?  " 

I  saw  Mr.  Livingston  look  up  quickly  and  start  to  speak. 


but  he  restrained  himself,  though  I  could  perceive  that  ho 
listened  anxiously  for  Miss  Desloge's  reply. 

"Do  you  mean  to  race  them?  Oh,  I  should  love  it,"  she 
answered  with  her  eyes  sparkling. 

"  Beware  of  Sir  Lionel,  Miss  Desloge,"  interposed  Mr.  Liv 
ingston  smilingly;  "he  may  lead  you  into  peril  again." 

Although  he  spoke  jestingly  I  felt  his  reproof  and  hastened 
to  reassure  him. 

"  Indeed,  sir,"  I  said  earnestly,  "  I  am  too  sensible  of  my 
former  folly,  and  was  too  shocked  at  Miss  Desloge's  deadly 
peril  ever  to  lead  her  into  the  like  again." 

"  A  peril  from  which  Sir  Lionel  alone  had  the  presence  of 
mind  to  rescue  me,"  said  Miss  Desloge,  speaking  quickly  and 
with  a  little  glance  of  defiance  at  Mr.  Livingston. 

I  could  not  understand  her  manner  to  Mr.  Livingston.  I 
admired  him  so  greatly  in  spite  of  his  change  of  demeanor  to 
me,  that  I  did  not  quite  like  her  little  air  of  defiance  which  I 
had  twice  noted.  Neither  did  Mr.  Livingston,  I  suppose, 
though,  except  for  a  slight  increase  of  color  he  ignored  it. 

"  Very  well,  my  children ! "  he  said,  with  an  exaggerated 
air  of  benevolence;  "young  people  must  be  young,  I  suppose, 
and  cannot  be  expected  to  heed  the  warnings  of  their  elders. 
Only,  pray,  do  nothing  rash,  Miss  Desloge." 

This  last,  it  seemed  to  me,  was  said  with  a  certain  significance 
that  made  me  color  in  my  turn.  But  our  horses  had  finished 
drinking  and  we  left  the  others  still  grouped  picturesquely  in 
the  shallow  waters  of  the  ford,  sparkling  over  their  pebbly  bed 
in  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  and  slowly  climbed  the  steep 
hill  that  led  up  from  the  ford  on  the  farther  side.  Once  well 
up  on  the  level  road  we  stopped  for  a  moment,  dazzled  by  the 
beauty  that  lay  around  and  below  us.  At  our  feet  was  the 
rocky  and  picturesque  canon  through  which  the  little  kill  dashed 
in  a  series  of  foaming  cascades  before  it  reached  the  quiet 
waters  of  the  ford.  Behind  us  rose  a  hill  rich  with  verdure, 
and  every  maple,  birch  and  somber  fir  stood  out  with  separate 
distinctness  in  the  level  rays  of  the  rapidly-sinking  sun.  A 


212  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

little  beyond,  the  towers  of  the  Chateau  of  Tivoli  among  its 
trees,  and  still  further  on  the  many  windows  of  Eose  Hill,  were 
catching  those  same  rays  and  blazing  in  reflected  glory.  Below 
us  lay  the  Hudson  —  broad  here,  since  the  little  kill  emptied 
into  North  Bay  —  its  placid  waters  a  sea  of  molten  gold;  and 
across  the  river,  a  little  to  the  north,  the  purple  Catskills  had 
gathered  about  them  a  gorgeous  canopy  of  crimson  and  gold 
with  which  to  shelter  the  slumbers  of  the  Old  Man  of  the 
Mountains. 

We  were  silent  for  a  while,  as  one  must  needs  be  in  the  pres 
ence  of  great  beauty,  and  then  Mademoiselle  sighed. 

"  Such  a  wonderful  land  !  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  Would  you  like  to  make  your  home  in  it  ?  "  I  asked,  trem 
bling  a  little  at  my  own  question,  for  I  was  thinking  of  Mr. 
Livingston,  who  seemed  so  greatly  pleased  with  her;  of  the 
gay  Irving,  who  seized  every  opportunity  of  being  near  her; 
but  most  of  all  was  I  thinking  of  the  hateful  La  Force  and 
his  flowers.  Her  answer  relieved  that  fear,  but  it  did  not  give 
me  perfect  satisfaction. 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  said  with  a  light  blush,  for  I  think  she  recog 
nized  my  purpose  in  asking ;  "  oh,  no,  I  do  not  think  I  would 
be  willing  to  live  anywhere  out  of  my  own  country." 

This  was  my  moment  for  making  my  confession  and  telling 
her  that  I  hoped  much  she  would  some  day  be  walling  to  live 
out  of  La  Belle  Prance  in  Merry  England;  but  the  hoofs  of 
the  other  horses  were  clattering  up  the  rocky  hill  behind  us  and 
rapidly  drawing  near. 

"  Now  for  our  race,  Miss  Desloge,"  I  said.  "  I  would  like 
to  put  a  good  mile  between  us  and  the  others,  and  I  believe  we 
can." 

I  spoke  hurriedly,  and  she  answered  by  a  quick  glance  of 
comprehension  and  a  light  touch  of  her  whip  on  Blackbird's 
flank.  We  were  off  in  a  flash,  and  the  others  having  by  now 
reached  the  level  road  were  hard  after  us,  Irving  and  young 
Will  shouting  and  spurring  their  horses  determined  to  over 
take  us,  but  the  rest  only  making  a  pretense  of  it. 

It  was  as  I  thought.     Blackbird  and  Saladin  were  far  fleeter 


DESPAIR  RETURNS  WITH  ME  TO  CLERMONT     213 

than  the  other  horses  and  a  very  few  minutes  carried  us  out  of 
sight  and  hearing  of  the  rest  of  our  party.  When  we  were 
so  far  ahead  there  would  be  no  danger,  at  least  for  a  while, 
from  either  Irving  or  Will,  I  checked  both  horses  with  a  word. 
Miss  Desloge  looked  as  if  she  would  like  to  remonstrate  at  my 
presuming  to  control  Blackbird,  but  I  gave  her  no  chance. 

"  We  have  proved  it,  Mademoiselle,"  I  said,  "  and  I  have 
secured  my  chance  to  say  to  you  what,  if  it  were  left  unsaid, 
would  give  me  no  rest  to-night." 

"An  invalid's  rest  must  not  be  disturbed,"  she  murmured 
with  a  teasing  smile. 

"  I  am  an  invalid  no  longer,  Miss  Desloge,  though  I  could 
wish  I  were,  if  I  could  continue  to  receive  the  services  of  my 
nurse,"  I  answered,  well  knowing  she  liked  no  reference  to  her 
nursing.  And  then  I  hastened  on,  for  looking  down  on  her 
(Saladin  was  a  good  two  hands  taller  than  Blackbird  and  I 
liked  the  sensation)  I  could  see  her  vexed  look,  and  I  did  not 
want  to  anger  her. 

"  Miss  Desloge,"  I  said,  "  you  did  not  answer  me  when  I 
asked  you  to  follow  me  always,  and  I  do  not  want  you  to  answer 
me  until  I  have  told  you  something  you  have  a  right  to  know." 
Then,  with  much  halting,  I  have  no  doubt,  I  told  her  why  I 
had  come  to  America;  sent  by  my  father  to  break  off  a  very 
foolish  affair,  which  did  not  seem  to  me  foolish  at  the  time, 
and  in  which  I  had  resented  my  father's  interference  and  acted 
altogether  as  any  headstrong  boy  would  act  in  his  first  love  af 
fair.  I  told  her  how  I  had  at  last  discovered  that  my  father 
was  right  and  I  was  wrong;  that  the  young  woman  was  mar 
ried  to  another  man  almost  before  she  had  said  good-by  to  me; 
and  that  my  father  could  not  regard  the  whole  affair  as  more 
foolish  than  I  now  saw  it  to  be,  nor  regret  it  half  so  deeply. 

Through  the  whole  recital  I  spoke  of  it  as  an  episode  of  my 
youth,  long  since  past  and  to  be  forgiven  to  a  very  young  boy, 
and  yet  it  was  hardly  three  months  since  that  evening  on  the 
Cher  under  the  walls  of  Magdalen,  when  I  had  said  good-by 
to  Peggy.  Of  course  I  did  not  mention  her  name,  nor  her 
profession,  but  I  can  see  now  that  I  must  have  seemed  the 


214  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

veriest  little  prig  to  Miss  Desloge,  with  my  lofty  airs  and  my 
moralizing  over  my  own  youthful  folly.  I  did  not  look  at  her 
much  while  I  was  telling  it,  for  I  had  the  grace  to  be  embar 
rassed,  but  I  remembered  afterward  that  when  I  did  glance  at 
her  once  or  twice  her  expression  puzzled  me,  and  embarrassed 
me  still  more. 

I  finished  my  recital  by  telling  her  of  my  promise  to  my 
father,  never  again  to  make  an  engagement  of  marriage  with 
out  first  obtaining  his  consent. 

"  Therefore,  Mademoiselle,"  I  concluded,  "  I  cannot  enter 
into  an  engagement  until  I  hear  from  my  father,  but  I  am 
sure  he  will  think  I  have  chosen  wisely  this  time  and  I  do  not 
think  we  need  fear  he  will  not  give  his  consent." 

Oh,  what  a  conceited  puppy  I  was  in  those  days !  I  was  very 
genuinely  in  love  with  Miss  Desloge,  and  I  was  not  conscious 
of  any  feeling  of  condescension  in  the  rich  Sir  Lionel  proposing 
to  the  poor  dependent,  Miss  Desloge,  and  certainly  I  had  no 
intention  of  speaking  in  a  patronizing  fashion.  Just  as  cer 
tainly  Miss  Desloge  had  never  given  me  any  reason  to  be  sure 
of  her  answer;  why  I  should  have  spoken  as  if  she  were  as 
anxious  for  my  father's  consent  as  I,  I  cannot  understand,  ex 
cept  that  it  must  have  been  that  the  gods  were  jealous  of  me. 

"  It  is  very  kind  of  you,  Sir  Lionel,  to  tell  me  all  this,"  she 
said  icily.  "  I  have  been  much  interested,  but  I  fear  it  has 
been  an  embarrassment  to  reveal  your  intimate  history  to  one 
who  is  so  much  of  a  stranger  as  Miss  Livingston's  French  com 
panion  must  be  to  the  young  English  baronet.  I  appreciate 
the  honor  you  do  me  in  your  conditional  proposal,  but  I  beg 
you  will  not  annoy  your  father  by  writing  him  about  me  at  all. 
One  impossible  love  affair  in  a  young  man's  life  should  be 
sufficient." 

"  Miss  Desloge !  "  I  began  angrily  and  stopped  short.  I  was 
hot  to  my  finger  tips  and  choked  with  angry  sensations;  my 
eyes  were  almost  blinded  by  the  rush  of  blood  to  them,  but  I 
had  sense  enough  left  to  perceive  that  I  had  made  a  terrible 
botch  of  an  interview  that  I  had  intended  to  be  frank  and 
friendly  and  wise.  That  was  it!  There  lay  my  blunder! 


DESPAIE  RETURNS  WITH  ME  TO  CLERMONT      215 

What  has  wisdom  to  do  with  love!  If  I  had  cast  prudence  to 
the  winds,  no  doubt  Miss  Desloge  would  have  listened  to  me 
kindly  and  answered  me  very  differently.  No  woman  wants  a 
man  to  stop  and  weigh  his  words  when  he  is  trying  to  win  her 
heart. 

I  paused  long  enough  after  my  first  violent  "  Miss  Desloge  " 
to  say  all  this  to  myself,  and  to  try  to  persuade  myself  that 
the  iciness  of  her  tone,  the  lurking  sarcasm  in  her  speech, 
probably  arose  from  pique.  Perhaps  she  did  not  like  the 
thought  of  Peggy  or,  perhaps  I  had  seemed  too  cocksure.  She 
evidently  thought  I  was  patronizing  her;  no  doubt  she  thought 
I  believed  that  a  dependent  "  companion  "  would  jump  at  the 
chance  of  marrying  a  rich  young  baronet.  I  grew  still  hotter 
at  the  thought,  but  I  would  show  her  I  was  meekness  itself. 

"  Miss  Desloge/'  I  began  again,  "  it  was  embarrassing,  as 
you  have  supposed,  to  disclose  my  folly  to  you.  If  I  had  not 
thought  I  was  disclosing  it  to  a  friend  who  would,  at  least,  feel 
some  interest  in  it,  I  would  have  hesitated  long  before  doing 
so,  though  I  felt  the  disclosure  was  due  before  I  could  honestly 
ask  you  to  be  my  wife.  If  I  have  been  mistaken  —  if  I  have 
been  thinking  of  you  as  a  friend  where  you  have  thought  of 
me  only  as  the  '  stranger '  you  have  called  me,  you  must  indeed 
have  found  me  presumptuous,  and  I  must  accept  your  severe 
rebuke  without  a  murmur.  I  can  see,  now,  how  foolish  I  have 
been  to  cherish  hopes  that  you  have  never  given  me  the  slightest 
excuse  for  cherishing.  You  are  right  to  remind  me  that  I 
ought  not  to  make  myself  a  fool  twice  —  once  in  loving  un 
worthily  and  once  in  setting  my  hopes  too  high.  I  hear  horses, 
Mr.  Irving  and  Will,  I  suppose;  shall  we  stop  and  wait  for 
them  ?  " 

For  answer  she  gave  Blackbird  a  sharp  cut  with  her  whip, 
and  Blackbird  was  away  on  the  very  wings  of  her  namesake  in 
a  moment.  I  could  not  have  held  Saladin  back  if  I  had  tried, 
with  Blackbird  flying  before  him,  and  I  did  not  try.  With 
great  leaps  and  bounds  he  was  beside  the  little  mare  in  a  trice, 
and  neck  and  neck  they  thundered  down  the  road. 

Not  until  we  were  well  out  of  all  danger  of  sight  and  sound 


216  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

of  the  horses  behind  us  did  Miss  Desloge  draw  rein.  Then 
she  spoke  very  sweetly  and  seriously  and  without  a  sign  of  that 
twinkle  in  her  eye  that  I  always  found  meant  mischief. 

"  It  was  not  nice  of  me  to  speak  as  I  did,  Sir  Lionel/7  she 
said,  "  and  I  beg  your  forgiveness.  I  was  very  deeply  inter 
ested  in  what  you  told  me,  and  I  thought  it  very  kind  and  good 
of  you  to  tell  me  what  I  know  you  found  it  hard  to  tell.  But 
I  meant  what  I  said  about  not  annoying  your  father.  Please 
do  not  write  to  him  of  me;  it  would  be  useless  to  make  him 
trouble  for  naught  and  —  /  will  never  marry  anyone  but  one  of 
my  own  countrymen." 

As  she  said  this  last  I  thought  I  caught  a  fleeting  glimpse 
of  that  wicked  twinkle.  If  I  did,  it  was  gone  in  a  flash,  and 
I  was  puzzled  to  know  why  it  should  have  appeared  at  such  a 
moment.  Was  she  mocking  me? 

But  I  did  not  stop  to  dwell  on  that  —  I  was  too  overwhelmed 
by  her  last  words  — "  I  will  only  marry  one  of  my  own  country 
men."  Then  it  was  Mr.  La  Force,  after  all,  and  there  was 
indeed  no  hope  for  me.  I  think  had  she  said  anything  but 
just  what  she  did  say,  I  would  not  have  despaired  so  easily, 
but  I  had  felt,  from  the  moment  I  had  first  met  Mr.  La  Force, 
that  he  was  to  be,  in  some  way,  my  evil  genius,  and  now  he  had 
proved  it. 

I  was  silent  for  a  long  time,  looking  down  on  that  great 
river  that  now  lay  a  silver  flood  in  the  moonlight  (for  the 
harvest  moon  had  come  up  over  the  hills  as  we  were  thundering 
down  that  last  bit  of  road  togethei)  and  seeing  only  a  silver 
blur,  for  a  death-knell  had  rung  in  my  heart  and  I  was  still 
a  boy,  and  the  tears  lay  not  so  far  away  as  they  do  now  that  I 
am  nearing  the  psalmist's  boundary  of  life. 

There  may  be  those  who  think  I  could  not  have  cared  very 
greatly.  That  if  three  months  before  one  grande  passion  had 
been  breaking  my  heart,  another  could  not  be  shattering  it 
now.  Then  if  there  be  any  who  think  so  they  do  not  know  the 
heart  of  youth,  or  they  do  not  know  my  heart,  and  most  of  all 
they  do  not  know  the  difference  between  Peggy  and  Miss 
Desloge.  Peggy  could  inspire  a  foolish  boy's  mad  passion,  Miss 


I  was  silent  for  a  long  time 


DESPAIR  RETURNS  WITH  ME  TO  CLERMOXT     217 

Desloge  could  win  a  man's  most  fervent  love  and  truest  affec 
tion. 

And  if  I  sometimes  speak  of  myself  as  boy  and  sometimes 
as  man,  it  is  because  I  was  both.  In  this  age  I  would  no  doubt 
at  twenty  (I  was  nearly  twenty)  seem  the  veriest  boy;  in  that, 
we  were  men  at  eighteen  —  though  not  come  into  our  legal 
rights  —  and  often  as  not  married  and  with  families  around  us 
before  we  were  twenty.  Therefore,  though  there  were  boyish 
tears  in  my  eyes,  I  believe  it  was  with  a  man's  heart  that  I  loved 
Miss  Desloge,  and  though  a  great  despair  was  in  my  soul,  I 
believe  that  it  was  with  something  of  the  resolution  of  a  man 
that  in  a  very  few  moments  I  got  control  of  my  voice  and  turned 
to  her. 

"  It  is  final,  Mademoiselle,  and  I  accept  it  as  such.  Your 
countryman  is  greatly  to  be  congratulated;  perhaps  some  day  I 
shall  have  conquered  this  unhappy  love  to  such  a  degree  that 
I  may  be  able  to  offer  him  my  congratulations  in  person;  shall 
we  ride  on  ?  " 

And  as  we  ambled  along  quietly  together,  lingering,  that 
those  in  the  rear  might  overtake  us,  Mademoiselle  talked  of 
many  things  so  sweetly,  so  kindly,  and  so  evidently  with  inten 
tion  to  cheer  me,  that  hope  began  almost  to  revive  a  little  under 
her  gentle  ministrations. 

At  last  our  talk  fell  on  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the 
new  City  Hall  in  New  York.  It  was  to  take  place  in  a  week 
or  ten  days,  and  Mayor  Livingston  was  to  perform  the  cere 
mony.  It  was  to  be  a  great  occasion,  and  it  had  been  our  theme 
at  Mrs.  Montgomery's  dinner  table,  as  it  had  been  our 
theme  many  times  before  at  Clermont.  For  we  had  planned  to 
go  down,  a  large  party  of  us,  by  horseback,  for  the  great  occa 
sion.  We  were  to  spend  one  night  at  Mrs.  Montgomery's  and 
one  night  at  the  Van  Cortlandt  Manor  and  so  break  the  journey, 
which  in  the  estimation  of  the  younger  people  of  the  party  was 
to  be  one  grand  frolic  through  the  lovely  October  weather. 

Now  as  we  talked  of  it,  I  noted  an  embarrassment  in  Miss 
Desloge's  manner  that  I  could  not  account  for.  It  was  I  who 
had  lost  zest  —  for  had  I  not  counted  on  that  long,  delightful 


218  MISS  LIVINGSTONS  COMPANION 

ride  down  the  picturesque  old  post  road,  through  the  beautiful 
October,  and  Saladin  by  Blackbird's  side  ?  I  had  lost  zest  —  it 
seemed  now  but  a  dismal  prospect  for  me  —  but  Miss  Desloge 
was  embarrassed.  Presently  she  seemed  to  screw  her  courage 
to  the  point  of  saying  something  difficult. 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  she  began,  hesitating,  "  do  you  know  that  Mr. 
Livingston  greatly  desires  that  you  will  not  attend  the  laying 
of  the  corner-stone  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Livingston  exceeds  his  privilege ! "  I  exclaimed 
haughtily.  "  He  is,  in  a  sense,  my  host,  but  he  certainly  can 
not  think  it  is  a  host's  place  to  interfere  with  a  guest's 
pleasures." 

"  No,"  said  Miss  Desloge  quickly,  "  Mr.  Livingston  would 
never  attempt  to  do  that.  I  am  sure  he  is  kindness  itself." 

"  Nor  need  he  fear  that  I  will  interfere  with  his,"  I  went 
on,  more  haughtily  still.  "  If  he  once  did  me  the  honor  to 
regard  me  as  a  rival,  I  shall  take  pains  to  let  him  understand 
that  I  am  not  to  be  so  regarded  any  longer." 

"  Sir  Lionel !  "  Miss  Desloge  exclaimed,  deeply  offended,  and 
I  was  brought  to  my  senses  with  a  shock. 

"  Forgive  me,  Mademoiselle,"  I  begged  humbly.      « 

She  only  noticed  my  words  with  a  slight  nod  as  she  hurried 
on  indignantly : 

"  You  accuse  Mr.  Livingston  of  cherishing  hopes  that  have 
never  occurred  to  him.  But  if  he  had  any  such  hopes  he  is 
the  last  man  to  use  such  means  of  attaining  to  them.  You 
could  not  be  guilty  of  such  a  mean  spirit,  why  do  you  think  it 
possible  to  him  ?  " 

"  You  are  right,  Mademoiselle,  he  is  the  last  man  I  could 
think  of  as  guilty  of  any  meanness,"  I  answered  contritely. 
"But,  Miss  Desloge,  I  was  beside  myself  when  I  spoke.  I  am 
not  quite  responsible,  you  must  understand.  And  do  you  know 
any  reason  why  I  should  not  go  to  New  York,  or  why  Mr. 
Livingston  should  not  want  me  to  go  ?  " 

She  hesitated  and  another  miserable  suspicion  flashed  into 
my  mind. 


DESPAIR  RETURNS  WITH  ME  TO  CLEBMONT     219 

"  Did  Mr.  Livingston  tell  you  to  persuade  me  not  to  go  ?  "  I 
asked  sternly. 

"  Not  —  exactly  —  he  said  he  hoped  you  would  not  go  and 
—  he  asked  me  if  I  thought  I  had  any  influence  with  you  to 
persuade  you  to  stay  at  Clermont.  I  told  him  I  would  do  my 
best,  but  I  see  I  have  no  '  influence.'  I  ought  not  to  have 
tried,"  giving  me  a  fleeting  glimpse  of  that  twinkle  as  she 
spoke. 

"  But,  surely,  you  do  not  want  me  to  stay  away  from  New 
York,  do  you,  Miss  Desloge  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Sir  Lionel,"  she  answered  earnestly,  "  I  want  it  very 
much,  indeed.  I  think  I  am  more  anxious  that  you  should 
not  go  down  to  New  York  with  our  party  than  even  Mr.  Living 
ston  can  be." 

"  And  you  will  not  tell  me  why  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  why." 

And  all  the  rest  of  that  beautiful  moonlight  ride,  sometimes 
beside  Mademoiselle,  sometimes  beside  Miss  Livingston,  and 
sometimes  riding  on  ahead  fast  and  furious  by  myself,  I  pon 
dered  her  words  and  puzzled  my  brain  to  know  her  reason. 
Sometimes  I  said  to  myself  bitterly,  she  wants  me  out  of  the 
way  when  Mr.  La  Force  is  there !  but  I  knew  that  was  an  un 
worthy  suspicion  and  I  could  find  no  other  reason  that  satisfied 
me.  As  we  sat  around  a  late  supper  table,  tired  and  hungry 
from  our  long  ride,  but  most  of  the  party  in  the  high  spirits 
that  a  day  spent  in  the  open  always  generates,  I  pondered  it 
again  under  cover  of  the  loud  and  gay  talk  and  I  came  to  but 
one  conclusion : 

Miss  Desloge  says  she  does  not  want  me  to  go  down  to  New 
York  with  their  party  —  I  will  obey  her  to  the  letter.  I  will 
not  go  down  with  the  party  (ah,  me,  for  the  lovely  rides,  the 
gay  evenings  at  Montgomery  Place  and  Van  Cortlandt  Manor 
House  that  I  had  been  looking  forward  to  with  such  keen  de 
light)  !  I  would  not  go  with  the  party,  but  I  would  be  at  the 
laying  of  the  corner-stone  and  see  for  myself  why  Miss  Desloge 
did  not  want  me  there. 


XIX 

I  DISCOVER  WHY  MISS  DESLOGE  BEGGED  ME  TO  STAY  IN  CLERMONT 

I  TOLD  no  one  of  my  plan;  I  let  them  think  I  had  acqui 
esced  in  Mr.  Livingston's  wishes  and  would  stay  at  Cler- 
mont.  That  is,  I  told  no  one  but  Mr.  Irving  and  Will  Jay, 
and  I  did  not  tell  them,  until  I  was  compelled  to.  For  as  soon 
as  they  heard  I  was  not  going  to  New  York  with  the  others 
they  both  insisted  they  would  stay  with  me  in  Clermont;  and 
there  was  no  budging  them  from  their  determination  until  I 
confessed  to  them,  confidentially,  that  I  intended  to  follow  the 
party  a  day  later  and  be  present,  incog.,  at  the  laying  of  the 
corner-stone.  Nor  did  I  feel  that  in  this  I  was  deceiving  Mr. 
Livingston.  I  had  not  told  him  I  would  not  go  to  New  York 
—  he  had  not  asked  that.  He  had  only  asked  that  I  would  not 
go  down  with  his  party.  I  believed  his  reasons  for  doing  so 
had  something  to  do  with  Miss  Desloge,  but  I  felt  that,  in  spite 
of  his  former  kindness  and  courtesy  to  me,  his  later  manner 
had  freed  me  from  any  further  allegiance  to  him  than  simple 
accordance  with  the  letter  of  his  request. 

As  I  explained  to  Will  and  Mr.  Irving,  I  should  mingle  with 
the  crowd,  and,  being  rather  short  of  stature,  I  thought  I  could 
easily  lose  myself  in  the  throng.  Whereupon  they  both  main 
tained,  stoutly,  that  they  too  would  give  out  that  they  would 
remain  at  Clermont  with  me,  and  we  would  all  three  ride  down 
to  New  York  together,  and  together  be  present  at  the  ceremony 
"in  disguise,"  Irving  called  it.  He  was  ever  eager  for  adven 
ture  and  this  seemed  to  him  an  enticing  one. 

But  I  would  not  listen  to  him.  I  knew  it  would  be  a  real 
sacrifice  to  the  gay,  pleasure-loving,  beauty-adoring  Irving  to 
miss  that  journey  to  New  York  in  the  company  of  the  lovely 

220 


WHY  MISS  DESLOGE  BEGGED  ME  TO  STAY      221 

Frenchwoman,  and  to  miss  the  festivities  that  had  already  been 
planned  for  at  Montgomery  Place  and  Van  Cortlandt  Manor 
House.  I  promised  to  see  him  in  New  York  at  the  City  Tav 
ern,  where  I  should  put  up,  but  I  absolutely  refused  to  allow 
him  to  stay  with  me.  "With  Will  I  was  not  so  firm;  if  he  really 
wanted  to  wait  for  me,  there  was  no  reason  why  he  should  not, 
and  I  liked  the  boy  and  would  be  glad  of  his  company. 

If  anyone  who  reads  this  has  ever  been  shut  up  in  a  house 
for  a  week  with  a  young  lady  he  is  madly  in  love  with,  who 
has  rejected  him  as  a  lover  and  yet  is  all  sweetness  and  gentle 
ness  when  she  meets  him,  he  can  have  some  faint  idea  of  what 
I  went  through  the  next  week.  There  were  times  when  I  was 
in  the  blackest  despair;  there  were  times  when  I  said  to  myself 
— •  She  is  a  false-hearted  coquette ;  I  would  not  have  her  if  I 
might;  then  there  were  times,  when  I  believed  there  was  still 
hope  for  me,  but  there  never  was  a  moment  when  I  was  not 
so  absorbed  in  thoughts  of  her  that  I  could  think  of  little  else ; 
so  given  up  to  planning  ways  of  seeing  her  and  talking  with 
her  that  I  was  good  for  nothing  else.  It  was  almost  a  relief 
when  the  moment  came  for  departure  and  Will  and  I  waved 
a  farewell  from  the  terraces  in  front  of  the  house  as  the  little 
company  of  five  cantered  down  the  avenue  of  maples  toward 
the  great  gates.  Their  party  was  to  be  increased  at  Mont 
gomery  Place  and,  indeed,  all  along  the  route;  by  the  time 
they  reached  the  city,  it  would  no  doubt  be  a  throng. 

It  was  a  lonely  day  and  evening  that  we  two  spent  in  the 
big  house  by  ourselves.  I  was  poor  company  for  the  lad,  though 
I  made  every  effort  to  amuse  him,  for  my  heart  was  lead  in  my 
bosom.  In  my  thoughts  I  was  following  Mademoiselle  Desloge 
every  step  of  the  way.  I  seemed  to  know  exactly  when  Mr. 
Livingston  rode  by  her  side  and  when  he  gave  up  his  place  to 
Mr.  Irving.  I  followed  them  through  the  ford  at  White  Clay 
Kill  and  I  cantered  by  Miss  Desloge's  side  up  the  avenue  of 
elms  to  the  broad  piazza  where  Mrs.  Montgomery  stood  await 
ing  her  guests;  and,  in  fancy,  I  heard  her  inquiries  why  I  was 
absent  and  heard  Mr.  Livingston's  lame  excuses.  But  most  of 
all  through  the  evening  did  my  spirit  haunt  the  great  hall  at 


222  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Montgomery  Place  and  see  Miss  Desloge  walk,  hand  in  hand, 
through  stately  minuets  and  formal  cotillions,  with  the  young 
squires  from  the  neighboring  country  seats.  For  it  had  been 
part  of  the  plan  of  festivities  that  there  should  be  a  dance  at 
Montgomery  Place  and  I  was  very  sure  Miss  Desloge  would 
be  the  belle  of  the  ball,  eagerly  sought  after  by  every  young 
American  with  eyes  in  his  head,  or  wit  in  his  brains,  or  music 
in  his  heels. 

Whether  Will  did  not  notice  my  abstraction,  against  which 
I  made  tremendous  struggles,  or  whether  he  was  too  polite  to 
appear  to  notice  it,  I  could  not  be  sure,  but  I  thought  he  was 
not  sorry  when  I  proposed  an  early  bed  hour  since  we  were  to 
make  an  early  start  in  the  morning,  as  was  necessary  if  we 
would  accomplish  with  ease  the  long  ride  to  Tarry  town,  where 
we  were  to  put  up  for  the  night.  My  spirits  rose  as  I  found 
myself  on  the  road  following  in  her  footsteps,  and  every  step 
of  the  way  my  heart  grew  lighter.  There  was  something,  no 
doubt,  in  the  intoxicating  October  air  and  the  amazing  beauty 
of  river  and  shore  that  drove  despair  from  a  man's  heart.  I 
began  to  believe  my  case  could  not  be  altogether  hopeless.  Did 
not  a  woman  always  say  "  no "  at  first  ?  Was  not  a  maiden 
always  to  be  wooed  before  she  was  won?  I  had  not  half  wooed 
her.  No  doubt  I  had  made  my  declaration  too  suddenly  — 
she  was  not  prepared.  I  could  not  expect  her  to  be  so  rashly 
and  entirely  infatuated  as  I  on  such  short  acquaintance.  I 
would  note  the  expression  in  her  countenance  when  I  should 
come  upon  her  unexpectedly  in  New  York.  Perhaps  I  might 
surprise  the  light  of  gladness  in  her  eyes,  for  it  is  at  such  mo 
ments  that  the  eyes  speak  more  truly  than  the  lips. 

Yet  always  when  I  was  comforting  myself  with  such  thoughts 
and  resolving  upon  a  more  determined  suit  when  I  should 
again  see  Miss  Desloge  in  New  York,  there  came  the  remem 
brance  of  that  one  sentence  — "  I  will  never  marry  any  man 
but  one  of  my  own  countrymen  "•  —  and  in  a  moment  all  my 
elation  left  me  to  the  prey  of  dull  despair.  It  was  in  that  mood 
I  rode  out  of  the  courtyard  of  Van  Tassel's  Inn  near  Tarry- 
town  the  next  morning,  Will  and  Scipio  following  me  and 


WHY  MISS  DESLOGE  BEGGED  ME  TO  STAY      223 

their  horses'  hoofs  making  a  cheerful  clatter  on  the  granite 
cobbles  of  the  court.  The  dawn  was  a  pale  gray  streak  in  the 
east,  a  disreputable  old  moon  leered  at  me  over  the  ridge  of 
the  quaint,  ivy-clad  Sleepy  Hollow  church,  and  I  looked  around 
among  the  venerable  headstones  in  the  little  churchyard,  more 
than  half  expecting  to  see  the  headless  horseman  careering 
over  the  graves.  For  the  first  time  I  began  to  feel  some  mis 
givings  as  to  the  wisdom  of  my  insisting  on  going  to  New  York 
against  the  advice  of  my  friends.  Mr.  Livingston  was  not  the 
man  to  request  me  to  remain  in  Clermont  without  some 
solid  reason  for  so  doing,  and  to  have  suspected  Miss  Desloge 
of  any  such  petty  motive  as  desiring  to  have  me  out  of  the  way 
of  my  successful  rival  was  unworthy  of  myself  and  an  insult 
to  her.  There  was  some  reason  why  I  ought  not  to  go  to  New 
York ;  some  reason  for  their  earnest  entreaties  —  for  Made 
moiselle  had,  indeed,  implored  me  not  to  go.  Perhaps  some 
peril  lay  in  wait  for  me  there  from  which  my  friends  would 
save  me. 

I  think  had  I  remained  many  minutes  longer  in  this  frame 
of  mind  I  would  have  wheeled  Saladin  and  galloped  back  to 
Clermont.  But  the  gray  dawn  brightened  to  rose,  the  leering 
old  moon  paled  beneath  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  Will  cantered 
up  to  my  side  and  challenged  me  to  a  race,  and  I  threw  fore 
bodings  to  the  winds. 

That  night  we  spent  at  Bedford  House,  Will's  home,  and 
there  I  met  his  mother,  the  famous  beauty  of  the  Eepublican 
Court.  These  Livingstons  were  a  handsome  race,  but  Mrs.  Jay 
was  the  beauty  par  excellence  of  the  family.  Her  sister,  Mrs. 
Kitty  Livingston,  was  gay  and  charming,  and  her  cousins, 
Mrs.  Montgomery  and  my  Miss  Livingston  of  Clermont,  were 
beautiful  and  fascinating  women,  but  not  one  of  them  had  the 
graceful  bearing,  the  faultless  features,  the  beaming  eye  and 
dazzling  smile  of  this  regal  creature.  I  could  easily  under 
stand  the  story  often  told  of  her,  that  once,  on  entering  the 
opera  house  in  Paris,  the  whole  audience  rose,  taking  her  for 
the  youthful  queen,  Marie  Antoinette.  That  was  many  years 
before  and  she  was  no  longer  youthful,  but  she  was  in  the 


224  MISS  LIVIXGSTOX'S  COMPAXIOX 

rich  maturity  of  those  charms  that  had  made  her  famous  in 
England,  France  and  America. 

Will  was  proud  of  his  beautiful  mother,  as  well  he  might- 
be,  and  I  did  not  doubt  that  it  was  for  the  sake  of  showing  her 
to  me  that  he  had  insisted  on  our  spending  the  night  at  Bed 
ford  House,  which  was  somewhat  out  of  our  direct  course  to 
the  city.  Of  his  father  I  stood  a  little  in  awe,  for  he  had  the 
dignity  of  bearing  proper  to  a  statesman  of  his  repute,  though 
he  was  sufficiently  gracious  to  Will's  friend,  as  he  was  pleased 
to  call  me.  Once  only  did  he  thoroughly  unbend  to  me,  but 
when  he  did,  he  charmed  and  fascinated  me  as  few  women 
have  done. 

Bedford  House  was  almost  the  most  beautiful,  both  for  situ 
ation  and  for  grace  of  architecture,  of  any  of  the  American 
places  I  had  yet  seen.  To  stand  on  the  terrace  before  the  house, 
where  the  mile-long  avenue  of  elms  began,  was  to  look  off  over 
a  rolling  country  of  meadow-land  and  rich  forests,  watered  by 
countless  winding  streams  and  bounded  in  one  direction  by  the 
broad  waters  of  the  Sound  and  in  the  other  by  the  stately 
Hudson,  bearing  on  its  bosom  many  white-sailed  sloops  and 
schooners  on  their  way  to  and  from  the  great  city  —  for  so  all 
good  Americans  regard  the  thriving  town  of  Xew  York.  The 
house  itself  was  low  and  broad,  a  mingling  of  several  styles, 
I  should  think,  and  covered  by  a  beautiful  ivy,  differing  much 
from  our  English  ivy,  and  already  turning  in  places  to  a  rich 
crimson  that  gave  the  house  the  effect  of  being  carved  from  a 
glowing  ruby  set  in  dark  porphyry.  The  library  occupied  an 
entire  wing  and  had  been  built  on  by  Mr.  Jay.  It  was  a  noble 
room,  with  one  rounded  end  in  which  was  built  a  fireplace  wide 
enough  to  hold  our  English  yule  logs  with  ease.  The  room 
was  lined  with  bookcases  holding  Mr.  Jay's  fine  library  con 
taining  many  rare  editions,  at  sight  of  which  my  old  love  of 
books  returned  with  a  rush,  and  had  I  been  greatly  urged  at 
that  moment  to  stay  at  Bedford  House,  and  been  given  the  free 
dom  of  this  room,  whose  rich  mahogany  furnishings,  luxurious 
reading  chairs,  and  the  flames  blazing  and  leaping  up  the  wide 
throat  of  the  chimney  (for  the  evening  was  a  frosty  one)  made 


WHY  MISS  DESLOGE  BEGGED  ME  TO  STAY      225 

it  an  enchanting  room  to  a  book-lover,  I  think  I  might  easily 
have  given  up  my  New  York  trip. 

But  that  moment  passed.  Later,  when  we  had  climbed  a 
lofty  hill  near  the  house  and  Will,  eagerly  pointing  out  to  me 
the  objects  of  interest  in  the  landscape,  showed  me,  to  the 
southwest,  where  the  East  Kiver  met  the  Sound,  a  glittering 
dot  that  he  said  was  the  cross  on  Trinity  Church  shining  in 
the  evening  sun,  Mr.  Jay  turned  to  me  with  his  polite  hope 
that  I  would  spend  some  time  with  them.  But  the  flashing 
spire  of  Trinity  had  proved  a  beacon  light  to  my  desire.  Not 
far  from  that  spot  Mademoiselle  Desloge  was  perhaps  at  this 
moment  arriving,  or  already  arrived,  and  resting  from  the 
fatigue  of  her  long  journey.  I  thanked  Mr.  Jay,  but  said  it 
was  imperative  that  I  should  be  in  New  York  the  next  after 
noon.  Whereupon,  sending  Will  off  on  some  pretext,  after  we 
had  returned  to  the  terrace  by  the  house,  he  asked  me  to  come 
with  him  for  a  moment  into  the  library,  he  had  something  he 
wished  to  say.  We  had  only  to  step  through  a  low  window 
directly  into  the  room  and  when  we  had  taken  deep-armed, 
leather-cushioned  chairs  drawn  up  on  either  side  of  the  blazing 
fire,  he  began  at  once,  and  there  was  no  longer  any  hint  of  that 
stateliness  of  manner  that  had  so  awed  me  at  first.  He  was, 
as  I  have  said  before,  charming  and  fascinating  to  a  degree 
I  have  found  in  few  women;  and  with  a  winning  tact  not  to 
be  surpassed  by  any  woman,  he  quickly  drew  from  me  the 
innermost  secret  of  my  heart. 

"  My  dear  Sir  Lionel,"  he  began,  "  I  am  an  old  man  in  com 
parison  with  your  youth,  and  you  are  in  a  strange  land;  you 
will  not  be  offended,  I  hope,  if  I  take  upon  myself  an  old  man's 
privilege  of  giving  you  some  advice  ?  " 

I  assured  him  that  I  would  be  very  grateful  for  the  advice, 
though  I  would  not  permit  him  to  call  himself  an  old  man, 
and  indeed  he  was  as  handsome  and  as  youthful-looking  for  a 
man  of  middle  age  as  I  have  often  seen. 

"  Will  tells  me,"  he  continued,  "  that  you  and  he  are  travel 
ing  alone  to  New  York  because  Mr.  Livingston  desired  you  to 
remain  at  Clermont,  and  while  you  did  not  promise,  I  gather 
15 


226  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

that  you  allowed  him  to  think  that  you  were  doing  so  when  you 
permitted  the  party  to  start  for  New  York  without  you.  Am 
I  right?" 

I  felt  myself  flushing  painfully.  I  had  thought  of  my  trip 
to  New  York  in  the  light  of  an  adventure.  Mr.  Jay  made  me 
feel  that  my  action  was  little  less  than  dishonorable. 

"  I  had  not  intended  to  deceive  Mr.  Livingston,"  I  stam 
mered.  "  I  think  his  only  reason  for  not  wishing  me  to  go  to 
New  York  is  that  for  some  cause  he  no  longer  finds  my  presence 
as  agreeable  as  he  did  at  first.  I  have  no  intention  of  forcing 
myself  upon  his  society  in  New  York ;  indeed,  he  need  not  know 
I  am  in  the  city,  and  in  that  way,  I  think  I  can  gratify  his 
desire  for  my  absence  quite  as  well  as  if  I  had  remained  at 
Clermont." 

Mr.  Jay  looked  profoundly  astonished  at  my  speech,  which 
I  can  now  see  was  a  remarkable  one. 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  he  said,  after  a  moment's  silence,  "  do  you 
know  of  any  reason  why  Mr.  Livingston  should  find  your  society 
no  longer  agreeable  ?  " 

"  I  know  of  no  reason ;  I  can  only  conjecture  one."  My  face 
was  burning  and  I  could  not  lift  my  eyes  to  Mr.  Jay's. 

"  Would  you  mind  telling  me  your  conjectures  ?  "  he  asked 
so  gently  and  with  such  a  persuasive  tone  that  I  glanced  up 
at  him,  and  the  smile  in  his  kind  eyes  won  me.  I  blurted  out 
my  secret  in  hot  and  angry  haste. 

"  Mr.  Livingston,"  I  said,  "  was  courtesy  itself  to  me  —  no 
father  could  have  been  kinder  —  until  he  became  interested  in 
a  young  lady  in  whom  I  also  am  deeply  interested.  And  al 
though  I  have  no  claims  upon  the  young  lady  and  not  the  least 
chance  of  success  with  her,  I  cannot  but  think  he  thought  his 
own  chances  better  in  my  absence  than  in  my  presence." 

Mr.  Jay's  look  of  astonishment  had  increased  to  dismay. 

"  Edward  Livingston  in  love  !  "  he  ejaculated. 

"Why  not,  sir?  He  is  still  young;  a  charming  man  and, 
what  I  have  often  heard  is  most  potent  with  the  ladies,  a 
widower,"  I  said  sullenly. 


WHY  MISS  DESLOGE  BEGGED  ME  TO  STAY     221 

Mr.  Jay  gazed  at  the  fire  a  full  minute  before  he  turned  to 
me  again,  but  his  look  of  dismay  had  given  place  to  a  cordial 
smile  when  he  began  to  speak. 

"  And  so,  my  dear  young  sir,  you  think  all  is  fair  in  love  ?  " 

It  was  impossible  to  resist  his  smile,  but  I  blushed  again  as 
I  answered,,  "  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  so  it  is !  "  he  exclaimed  heartily.  "  And  if  you  are 
right  in  your  conjectures,  I  cannot  blame  you  for  following 
my  cousin  and  the  young  lady  to  New  York;  but,  the  more  I 
think  of  it,  the  more  I  am  convinced  there  must  be  some  mis 
take.  Mr.  Livingston  was  very  deeply  attached  to  his  wife,  but 
of  course  I  know  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to  love  the  second 
time,  and  no  doubt  the  young  lady  is  very  beautiful  and  charm- 
ing." 

"  More  so  than  anyone  I  have  ever  known,"  I  interrupted 
with  conviction. 

"Well,  take  it  for  granted  our  cousin  has  succumbed  to  her 
charms,"  he  smiled  sympathetically,  "  that  does  not  explain 
his  taking  such  an  unfair  advantage  of  you  as  to  use  his  au 
thority  as  host  in  persuading  you  to  stay  in  Clermont  and  give 
him  all  the  opportunities  and  advantages  of  that  trip  to  New 
York  in  the  company  of  the  fair  lady.  Mr.  Edward  Living 
ston  is  not  so  known  to  me,  Sir  Lionel.  He  is  the  soul  of 
courtesy  and  of  honor.  I  do  not  believe  it  would  be  possible 
to  him  to  use  such  means  to  advance  his  suit.  I  believe,  in 
stead,  that  he  knows  of  some  peril  lying  in  wait  for  you  in 
New  York,  and  it  is  for  your  own  sake  that  he  begs  you  to 
remain  at  Clermont.  Will  you  stay  with  us  at  Bedford  House 
instead  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Jay,"  I  answered,  "  I  may  have  wronged  Mr.  Living 
ston  —  I  hope  I  have ;  for  he  seemed  to  me  as  you  have  described 
him,  the  soul  of  courtesy  and  honor,  and,  in  spite  of  my  resent 
ment  at  his  apparent  discourtesy,  I  still  feel  for  him  an  admira 
tion  somewhat  akin  to  hero-worship,  for  a  hero  he  proved 
himself  through  the  yellow  fever.  But  if  it  is  only  some  peril 
to  myself  he  fears,  I  think  I  have  every  right  to  follow  my  own 


228  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

•will.  I  know  no  fear,  nor,  indeed,  any  reason  for  fear,  and 
I  have  a  very  great  desire  to  be  present  in  New  York  at  the 
laying  of  the  corner-stone." 

Mr.  Jay  rose  from  his  seat  and  grasped  my  hand. 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  he  said,  "  I  am  almost  sure  you  are  doing  a 
foolish  thing,  such  confidence  have  I  in  Mr.  Livingston's  judg 
ment,  but  I  am  not  going  to  try  to  persuade  you  further.  In 
fact,  I  rather  like  your  British  obstinacy.  I  shall  send  Will 
with  you  to  New  York,  not  because  I  think  he  would  be  much 
help  in  danger,  but  he  could  at  least  be  a  messenger  to  inform 
your  friends  of  your  safety  or  your  peril.  And,  since  it  is 
quite  time  he  was  on  his  way  back  to  school  in  New  Haven, 
New  York  will  not  be  far  out  of  the  way." 

How  often  in  the  next  few  days  I  wished  I  had  heeded  the 
request  of  Mr.  Livingston,  the  entreaties  of  Mademoiselle  and 
the  advice  of  Mr.  Jay.  I  believe  most  of  my  troubles  in  life 
have  grown  out  of  my  obstinacy  in  pursuing  my  own  course 
in  opposition  to  the  expressed  wish  of  friends,  but  then  some 
of  my  greatest  successes  have  resulted  from  the  same  trait  also, 
and,  perhaps,  while  obstinacy  is  one  of  my  greatest  faults,  it 
may  also  be  one  of  my  virtues. 

We  were  later  in  arriving  in  the  city  than  we  had  intended. 
A  great  throng  filled  the  little  park  where  the  corner-stone 
was  to  be  laid.  I  had  not  thought  the  town  held  so  many 
people.  But  Will  told  me  proudly  that  there  were  nearly  sixty 
thousand  people  in  the  city,  and,  great  as  the  throng  seemed, 
it  certainly  did  not  nearly  reach  that  number.  We  had  left 
our  horses  with  Scipio  near  the  Freshwater  Pond  and  Mr.  Liv 
ingston  was  just  rising  to  speak  as  we  slipped  in  among  the 
straggling  fringes  of  the  crowd.  I  do  not  think  he  saw  us 
and  my  glance  sped  past  him  to  a  group  seated  on  the  platform 
near  him.  In  the  center  of  the  group  sat  Miss  Desloge,  Irving 
on  one  side  of  her,  La  Force  on  the  other,  each  wearing  an  air 
of  gallantry  and  devotion.  As  my  glance  fell  on  her,  her  eyes 
met  mine.  She  started  slightly,  but  there  was  no  light  of  glad 
surprise  in  her  eyes  as  I  had  fondly  hoped;  instead,  a  dismay, 


WHY  MISS  DESLOGE  BEGGED  ME  TO  STAY      229 

that  amounted  almost  to  terror,  widened  them  to  a  painful 
stare.  In  a  moment,  she  recovered  herself  and  turned  with  an 
air  of  nervously  eager  interest  to  answer  some  speech  Mr.  La 
Force  addressed  to  her,  but  not,  I  believe,  before  he  had  noted 
her  startled  glance  and  discovered  its  cause.  Xot  that  I  could 
perceive  that  he  had  discovered  it.  He  did  not  seem  to  glance 
in  my  direction,  and  since  I  had  a  feeling,  wholly  unaccounta 
ble,  that  he  was  not  to  be  trusted  and  that  he  had  designs  of 
some  kind  against  me,  I  kept  in  the  thickest  of  the  throng, 
with  men  who  towered  head  and  shoulders  above  me  between 
me  and  the  line  of  his  vision.  Yet  once  the  man  in  front  of 
me  stepped  aside  and  disclosed  Mr.  La  Force's  seat  on  the 
platform  vacant  and  Mademoiselle's  glances  scanning  the 
throng  before  her  restlessly  and  eagerly,  I  thought,  and  I  could 
not  reason  myself  out  of  a  vague  feeling  of  uneasiness. 

I  was  hardly  as  surprised,  therefore,  as  I  might  otherwise 
have  been,  when  a  hand  was  suddenly  laid  on  my  shoulder  from 
behind  me  and  a  voice  spoke  low  in  my  ear : 

"  I  hope  you  will  make  no  disturbance,  Sir  Lionel,  but  come 
with  me  quietly  to  the  Bridewell  yonder;  I  hold  a  warrant  for 
your  arrest  in  my  pocket." 

I  glanced  up  quickly.  A  big,  burly  constable  looked  down 
into  my  eyes  with  a  glance  of  steely  determination  that  con 
vinced  me  at  once  that  resistance  was  useless.  He  wore  no 
uniform,  but,  as  I  hesitated  a  moment,  he  opened  his  coat 
slightly  and  displayed  his  officer's  badge. 

Involuntarily  I  glanced  around  for  Mr.  La  Force.  He  was 
nowhere  in  sight.  Will,  on  the  other  side  of  me  and  wholly 
engrossed  in  Mr.  Livingston's  speech,  which,  though  the  atten 
tion  I  had  been  able  to  give  it  was  but  broken  and  distracted, 
I  had  yet  discovered  to  be  an  eloquent  one  —  had  noticed  noth 
ing  of  what  was  happening  to  me.  I  turned  to  him  and  spoke 
low  and  hurriedly: 

"  Will,  do  not  turn  your  head  nor  show  any  signs  of  excite 
ment.  I  am  arrested  —  I  do  not  know  for  what,  but  I  think 
it  best  to  go  quietly  with  the  constable.  As  soon  as  the  cere- 


230  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

monies  are  over,  inform  Mr.  Livingston  and  bring  him  to  the 
Bridewell,  if  he  will  come.  Send  Scipio  and  Saladin  to  the 
City  Tavern.  Good-by,  my  lad." 

Will  clutched  the  hand  I  extended  to  him  convulsively,  but 
turned  toward  me  with  an  almost  preternatural  air  of  indif 
ference,  though  his  face  was  pale  and  his  eyes  were  burning. 

"  The  Bridewell !  "  he  gasped  in  a  choked  voice.  "  You  shall 
not  sleep  there,  Sir  Lionel  —  it  must  be  all  some  horrible  mis 
take." 

"  Yes,  I  am  sure  of  it,"  I  answered.  "  But  do  not  take  it 
too  much  to  heart  —  it  is  bound  to  be  cleared  up  as  soon  as 
I  see  Mr.  Livingston." 

Sauntering,  with  assumed  carelessness,  along  the  fringes  of 
the  throng  toward  the  Bridewell,  I  saw  Will  slipping  through 
the  crowd  and  hurrying  toward  the  tall  Lombardy  poplar  where 
Scipio  was  holding  our  horses,  and  I  was  glad  that  his  father 
had  let  him  come  with  me  to  New  York.  In  this  strange  new 
land,  in  this  startling  experience,  I  would  indeed  have  felt  for 
lorn  and  friendless  but  for  this  boy  of  sixteen. 

Then  my  glance  flew  across  the  heads  of  the  listening  thou 
sands  to  the  platform.  No  one  had  noticed  my  arrest.  It  had 
been  cleverly  done  without  making  the  slightest  stir.  Not  a 
man,  as  far  as  I  knew,  had  interrupted  his  rapt  listening  to 
the  speaker  long  enough  to  turn  his  head  and  gaze  curiously 
at  the  ill-assorted  pair  —  the  burly  officer  of  the  peace  and  the 
slender  stripling  at  his  side,  with  his  head  in  the  air,  whistling 
under  his  breath  an  air  from  Don  Giovanni  with  a  gayety  the 
most  casual  observer,  had  there  been  any,  must  have  seen  was 
forced. 

Straight  over  the  heads  of  that  careless  throng  my  glance 
met  another  glance,  seeking  mine.  I  could  not  have  told  from 
the  distance  of  the  platform,  had  I  not  already  known  it,  that 
the  beautiful  eyes  into  which  I  was  looking  were  a  winey  brown, 
but  expression  carries  farther  than  color.  I  could  not  mistake 
the  look  of  concern,  deepening  to  terror,  in  those  eyes,  and  I 
knew  two  things: 

One,  that  I  had  another  friend  beside  that  lad  of  sixteen, 


WHY  MISS  DESLOGE  BEGGED  ME  TO  STAY     231 

who  would  leave  no  stone  unturned  to  help  me;  and  the  other 
was  that  Mademoiselle  Desloge  knew  why  I  was  arrested  though 
I  did  not;  and  the  knowledge  froze  her  very  glance  with  terror, 
while  it  did  not  for  a  moment  shake  her  trust  in-  me. 


XX 

THE  SWEETS   OF  ADVERSITY 

IPEAY  that  no  friend  of  mine  may  ever  descend  into  such 
black  depths  as  I  explored  for  the  next  three  hours.  I  had 
confidently  expected  William  to  be  back  in  a  few  minutes, 
bringing  Mr.  Livingston  with  him,  and  Irving  also,  no  doubt, 
and  that  they  would  hasten  to  furnish  bond  for  me  and  set  me 
free.  I  could  not  believe  that  a  son  of  my  father,  that  any 
descendant  of  the  Marchmonts,  should  ever  spend  a  night  in 
a  common  jail.  But  as  the  minutes  wore  away  to  quarters,  to 
halves  and  then  to  hours,  with  no  word  from  any  of  those  I 
had  called  my  friends,  I  began  to  believe  that  I  had  been  de 
serted —  that  William,  whom  I  had  watched  hurrying  toward 
Scipio  and  the  horses,  was  only  hurrying  to  save  himself;  that 
Mr.  Livingston  and  Mr.  Irving  were  wholly  indifferent  to  my 
fate;  that  Mademoiselle  Desloge  was  rather  glad  than  other 
wise  to  have  me  safely  out  of  Mr.  La  Force's  way. 

But  always  when  I  arrived  at  this  point  in  my  bitter  medi 
tations,  I  stopped  short.  No,  I  could  not  believe  such  baseness 
of  Mademoiselle.  Let  all  the  world  be  false  she,  I  could  swear, 
was  true  to  such  friendliness  as  she  was  willing  to  grant  me  — 
as  she  had  proved  in  this  very  matter  of  her  earnest  entreaty 
of  me  not  to  come  to  New  York.  If  I  had  only  listened  to 
those  entreaties !  No,  she  might  be  unwilling  to  yield  me  more 
than  her  friendship,  but  loyal  friend  I  could  never  doubt  her 
to  be. 

As  the  hours  wore  away  I  sank  into  lower  and  lower  depths 
of  despondency.  What  would  my  father  say,  when  he  should 
hear  that  his  only  son,  the  heir  of  Clover  Combe  Court,  had 
lain  for  weeks  in  an  American  jail ;  for  it  would  be  weeks 

232 


233 

before  he  could  hear  of  my  plight,  and  weeks  more  before  the 
aid  he  would  swiftly  send  could  reach  me  and  liberate  me. 
In  the  bitterness  of  my  soul,  I  had  begun  to  believe  no  one  in 
America  would  stir  a  finger  to  relieve  a  hapless  English  lad 
whom  they  believed  guilty  of  so  base  a  crime.  Now  I  under 
stood  Mr.  Livingston's  sudden  coldness  and  averted  looks. 
They  had  dated  from  his  first  visit  to  his  office,  and  if  he 
believed  me  guilty  of  the  crime  of  which  I  was  accused,  then 
I  did  not  wonder  and  I  could  not  blame.  But  I  grew  hot  at 
the  thought.  How  could  any  man  dare  to  believe  me  guilty ! 
These  Americans  had  little  generosity  and  less  chivalry  to  be 
lieve  so  easily  a  baseless  accusation. 

For  I  knew,  now,  of  what  crime  I  was  accused  and  who  was 
my  accuser.  There  had  been  a  preliminary  examination  —  a 
preliminary  farce,  I  called  it  —  before  I  was  consigned  to  my 
cell  in  the  Bridewell,  and  it  was  Mr.  La  Force,  as  I  knew  it 
would  be,  who  answered  the  question  — "  Of  what  is  the  pris 
oner  accused,  and  who  accuses  him  ?  " 

"  Of  embezzling  the  city's  money,  your  Honor,  and  I  make 
the  charge  in  Mr.  Livingston's  name.  I  am  Mr.  Livingston's 
private  secretary." 

Then  followed  a  number  of  questions  to  which  I  was  too 
indignant  to  make  suitable  answer,  or  any  answer  at  all  part 
of  the  time.  It  was  a  foolish  way  of  giving  vent  to  my  temper, 
for  the  judge,  who  at  first  was  inclined  to  be  lenient,  losing  his 
patience,  at  last,  ordered  me  on*  to  a  cell,  when  I  might,  per 
haps,  by  a  more  pacificatory  course,  have  secured  for  myself 
temporary  accommodations  with  the  jailer. 

It  had  been  mid-afternoon,  the  early  October  sun  shining 
brilliantly,  when  I  entered  the  gloomy  doors  of  the  Bridewell; 
the  evening  shades  had  fallen  when  the  key  turned  in  the  lock, 
my  door  was  thrown  open  and  I  was  conducted  by  the  turnkey 
back  to  the  room  where  I  had  passed  my  preliminary  exam 
ination.  Candles  were  already  lighted  in  this  room,  and  com 
ing  from  the  gloom  of  my  cell  my  eyes  were  dazed  for  a  mo 
ment,  and  to  my  confused  senses  the  room  seemed  crowded  with 
people.  William  was  the  first  to  rush  forward  and  seize  my 


234  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

right  hand,  and  Irving,  not  far  behind  him,  grasped  the  other. 
Irving  was  the  first  to  speak : 

"It  is  an  outrage,  Sir  Lionel!  Whoever  is  accountable  for 
this  shall  suffer  for  it ! "  he  exclaimed  hotly. 

"  They  arrested  me,  too,  Sir  Lionel,"  William  exclaimed 
eagerly,  almost  in  the  same  breath  with  Irving,  "  or  I  would 
have  been  here  long  ago.  They  called  me  particeps  criminis, 
or  something  like  that,  and  they  kept  me  so  long,  badgering 
me  with  questions,  that  by  the  time  they  let  me  go  —  I  told 
them  I  was  John  Jay's  son  and  I  would  tell  father,  if  they 
did  n't !  —  by  that  time,  Mayor  Livingston  had  gone  off  some 
where,  and  I  had  a  hard  time  finding  him.  But  he 's  here 
now  and  he  '11  have  you  out  in  a  jiffy." 

I  laughed  at  the  boy's  naivete,  and  so  did  the  others,  and 
in  the  chorus  of  laughter  I  noted  a  silvery  peal  that  set  my 
blood  to  tingling,  though  I  would  not  look  in  the  direction 
from  which  it  came. 

"  Thank  you,  William,"  I  began ;  "  I  was  sure  you  would 
not  fail  me."  But  Mayor  Livingston  came  up  at  this  moment 
with  an  outstretched  hand,  though  an  air  of  embarrassment  sat 
oddly  with  his  effort  at  cordiality. 

"  It  is  an  outrage,  Sir  Lionel,  as  Mr.  Irving  says,  but  I  fear 
I  am  not  so  powerful  as  young  William  Jay  thinks  me.  I 
have  been  talking  to  Justice  Smith  here  and  he  intimates  that 
I  am  the  last  man  to  be  interceding  for  you;  that  I  should 
either  be  your  accuser  or  take  my  place  beside  you  on  the 
culprit's  bench.  God  knows,  my  dear  young  sir,"  he  added 
fervently,  "  I  would  rather  be  in  the  Bridewell  than  have  you 
here  on  my  account,  for  the  very  fact  that  you  would  not  heed 
my  warning  not  to  come  to  New  York  convinces  me  of  your 
innocence  in  this  matter." 

My  heart  sank  with  every  word  he  uttered.  I  had  thought 
with  young  William,  that  now  Mayor  Livingston  had  come,  I 
would  be  set  free  at  once.  Surely  he  was  the  most  powerful 
man  in  the  city,  and  surely  he  must  know  I  could  not  be  guilty 
of  taking  the  city's  money.  He  had  said  nothing  about  set 
ting  me  free  on  bond  and  now  I  stammered  forth  a  hint  that 


THE  SWEETS  OF  ADVEESITY  235 

I  hoped  there  might  be  someone  in  the  city  who  would  be  will 
ing  to  go  on  the  bond  of  my  father's  son. 

He  answered  me  so  sadly  that  for  the  moment  I  forgot  my 
own  suffering  in  sympathy  for  him. 

"  For  evident  reasons,  my  dear  Sir  Lionel,  I  could  not  go 
on  your  bond  even  had  I  the  means  to  do  so.  Until  this  debt 
to  the  city  is  paid,  I  have  not  a  cent  I  can  call  my  own.  My 
houses,  my  horses,  my  land,  even  my  furniture  and  most  of 
my  personal  belongings  have  been  turned  over  to  the  city  within 
the  last  two  weeks.  I  am  at  present  but  a  guest  in  the  house 
where  you  and  I  were  ill.  But  though  I  cannot  go  on  your 
bond  myself,  I  called  at  the  homes  of  two  of  my  friends  on 
my  way  here,  and  they  have  come  with  me,  eager  to  do  what 
they  can  to  set  you  free." 

I  had  noted  two  gentlemen  talking  earnestly,  and  at  mo 
ments  excitedly,  with  the  justice  of  the  peace.  Now,  as  Mr. 
Livingston  spoke,  they  came  forward,  and  Mr.  Livingston  pre 
sented  me  to  them  —  a  Mr.  Roosevelt  and  a  Mr.  Bleecker,  both 
evidently  men  of  property  and  of  influence,  and  both  most 
courteous  to  me. 

"  But  Justice  Smith  insists,"  said  Mr.  Roosevelt,  when  the 
first  greetings  and  expressions  of  sympathy  from  them  were 
over,  "  that  this,  being  an  offense  against  the  State,  does  not 
allow  the  prisoner  to  be  admitted  to  bail.  Mayor  Livingston, 
you  can  surely  set  him  right  on  that  point?" 

But  Mayor  Livingston,  being  well  versed  in  the  law,  could 
only  admit  that  the  justice  was  right,  but  that  he  hoped,  the 
circumstances  being  peculiar,  that  the  strict  letter  of  the  law 
might  be  interpreted  more  leniently.  The  three  gentlemen  set 
themselves  to  argue  the  matter  once  more  and  I  could  hear  Mr. 
Roosevelt  say,  "  We  will  gladly  double  the  bond,"  but  the  jus 
tice  was  evidently  immovable. 

In  the  meantime,  I  could  not  refrain  from  glancing  toward 
the  corner  whence  I  had  heard  that  silvery  peal  of  laughter. 
Miss  Desloge  was  there  and  Miss  Livingston  and  another  lady 
whom  I  thought  was  Mrs.  Montgomery,  but  could  not  be  sure, 
since  she  stood  outside  the  circle  of  candle-light.  They  were 


236  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

holding  a  whispered  consultation,  but  Miss  Desloge  looked  up 
as  I  glanced  at  them  and  smiled  and  bowed  with  great  sweet 
ness.  I  was  embarrassed.,  no  doubt,  by  my  position,  railed  off 
from  my  friends  and  a  jailer  by  my  side,  and  so  I  did  not 
return  the  smile  and  my  bow  was  frigid,  I  fear.  Moreover,  I 
looked  quickly  away,  though  not  before  I  had  caught  the  swift 
look  of  pain  that  swept  into  her  eyes.  I  was  much  startled, 
therefore,  when,  a  moment  later,  I  felt  a  light  touch  on  my 
sleeve,  and  looking  quickly  around  found  Mademoiselle  stand 
ing  just  outside  the  railing,  her  hand  resting  on  my  arm. 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  she  said  softly,  "  it  is  very  dreadful,  but  do 
not  be  discouraged ;  it  will  come  out  all  right  —  /  know." 

There  was  something  in  the  sparkle  of  her  eye  and  the  firm 
set  of  her  scarlet  lips  that  convinced  me  she  did  know.  How, 
I  could  not  guess,  but  she  inspired  me  with  such  courage  that 
all  my  despair  took  flight,  and  with  a  good  heart  I  thanked 
her  for  her  faith  in  me  and  for  her  coming  to  me  in  my  hour 
of  trouble. 

"  Faith  in  you ! "  she  echoed  with  a  kind  of  wonder  in  her 
voice.  "  Why,  even  if  I  did  not  Tcnow,  as  I  do,  no  one  could 
doubt  you  for  a  moment  —  least  of  all,  I." 

Her  "least  of  all,  I,"  was  very  pleasant  to  hear,  but  the 
only  answer  I  made  her  was  a  smile  of  thanks  straight  into 
her  warm  brown  eyes,  for  at  that  moment  Miss  Livingston  and 
Mrs.  Montgomery  came  up,  and  professed  to  make  light  of  the 
whole  affair  —  for  my  sake,  I  knew. 

"  Let  me  shake  hands  with  you,  Sir  Lionel,"  said  Miss  Liv 
ingston  ;  "  I  am  dying  to  shake  hands  with  a  real  live  prisoner. 
I  never  did,  you  know." 

"  I  am  glad  you  said  '  prisoner/  and  not  '  criminal/  Miss 
Livingston,"  I  answered,  giving  her  hand  a  very  hearty  squeeze, 
for  I  liked  her  coming  to  my  support  while  I  was  under  sus 
picion. 

"  Criminal !  Pooh  !  "  she  answered.  "  No  one  could  possibly 
think  of  you  as  a  criminal,  Sir  Lionel." 

"  It 's  a  martyr  and  a  hero  these  girls  will  be  making  of  you 
now,  Sir  Lionel,"  laughed  Mrs.  Montgomery.  "I  think  you 


THE  SWEETS  OF  ADVERSITY  237 

were  attractive  enough  before,  with  your  bel  air  and  your  beaux 
yeux,  but  the  whole  city  will  be  running  mad  after  you  now 
that  you  have  contrived  such  a  romantic  experience." 

"  Not  of  my  contriving,  Mrs.  Montgomery.  The  gods  for- 
fend !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Oh,  perhaps  not,  but  you  cannot  say  that  it  was  not  well 
contrived  to  make  you  even  more  interesting  to  the  maidens,  if 
that  were  possible.  What  with  posing  first  as  a  yellow  fever 
invalid  and  now  as  a  victim  of  false  imprisonment,  you  must 
admit  you  are  being  most  romantic  as  well  as  having  all  kinds 
of  adventures,  such  as  I  understand  your  father  sent  you  to 
America  to  seek." 

I  laughed,  for  the  good  humor  of  her  raillery  was  contagious. 

"  I  don't  believe  either  yellow  fever  or  imprisonment  for 
stealing  was  in  the  category  of  adventures  my  father  planned 
for  me,"  I  answered. 

"  No/'  she  replied,  no  longer  laughing,  and  with  a  cordial 
earnestness  I  liked  much,  "  but  if  you  bear  the  imprisonment 
with  the  firmness  and  courage  with  which  you  bore  the  other, 
they  will  both  go  far  toward  developing  character,  and  that, 
I  suppose,  was  your  father's  real  reason  for  sending  you  to  us." 

And  then  the  three  gentlemen  came  back  and  there  was  not 
much  encouragement  to  be  read  in  their  countenances;  Mr. 
Roosevelt  looked  irascible,  Mr.  Bleecker  disappointed,  and 
Mr.  Livingston  deeply  grieved.  It  was  he  who  spoke : 

"  We  cannot  move  the  justice  in  the  matter  of  bail,  Sir 
Lionel;  I  fear  you  will  have  to  put  up  with  prison  quarters 
for  a  while.  Prison  fare  you  shall  not  be  reduced  to;  we  will 
see  that  you  have  something  to  eat." 

And,  in  fact,  while  he  was  still  speaking,  Scipio  and  another 
colored  boy  entered,  bearing  a  great  hamper  between  them, 
the  contents  of  which  were  presently  set  out.  And  there  being 
enough  delicacies  of  all  kinds  in  the  hamper  to  provision  a 
garrison,  and  the  jailer  being  amiable,  I  was  permitted  to  eat 
a  somewhat  belated  dinner  in  his  living-room,  in  the  company 
of  my  friends.  And  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  a  guard  stood  in 
the  room,  and  that  there  was  great  indignation  and  some  de- 


238  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

spondency  lurking  in  the  back  of  my  mind,  I  have  seldom 
eaten  a  merrier  meal. 

But  to  go  back  to  Mayor  Livingston's  speech,  which  the 
entrance  of  the  hamper  did  not  interrupt  as  I  have  interrupted 
it.  He  told  me  that  though  he  could  not  persuade  the  justice 
to  admit  me  to  bail,  he  had  yet  been  able  to  persuade  him  that 
my  case  should  be  placed  early  on  the  docket.  That  he  himself 
should  at  once  attend  to  securing  the  best  of  counsel  for  me, 
and  that  just  as  soon  as  the  case  could  be  prepared,  witnesses 
found,  etc.,  it  should  go  to  trial,  so  that  I  might  expect  a  very 
short  stay  in  the  Bridewell. 

He  spoke  as  if  there  was  no  doubt  at  all  of  my  acquittal, 
and,  indeed,  I  did  not  see  how  there  could  be,  except  that, 
possibly,  in  a  new  country,  justice  might  be  more  easily  per 
verted  than  at  home,  and  —  I  had  such  a  strong  distrust  of 
Mr.  La  Force  and  such  a  wholesome  dread  of  his  skill  in  accom 
plishing  his  nefarious  purposes. 

When  my  friends  left  me,  I  went  back  to  my  cell,  which 
was  horribly  dirty,  ill-ventilated  and  ill-lighted,  and  lay  down 
on  my  hard  pallet  in  a  quieter  frame  of  mind  than  I  could  have 
believed  possible  a  few  hours  before.  Nay,  it  was  more  than 
calmness,  it  was  with  a  near  approach  to  happiness  that  I  lay 
looking  at  the  pointers  in  Charles'  Wain  twinkling  through  my 
high,  barred  window.  For  Mademoiselle  had  come  to  me  on 
leaving,  and  with  the  sweetest  smile  in  her  eyes  she  had  whis 
pered,  "  Remember,  you  are  not  to  worry,  for  I  know" 

And  surely  I  had  felt  a  gentle  pressure  of  her  little  hand 
returning  my  fervent  one.  If  only  she  were  an  English  lass! 
For  even  to  win  Mademoiselle  I  could  not  wish  myself  a  French 
man. 


XXI 

MR.   HAMILTON   MAKES   TWO   WAGERS 

IT  seemed  that  instead  of  these  Americans  being  lacking  in 
chivalry  and  generosity,  as  I  had  mentally  accused  them, 
they  were  the  soul  of  both.  I  was  given  to  understand  that 
there  was  a  rush  of  the  most  eminent  counsel  offering  their 
services  in  my  behalf.  Even  the  Vice-president  himself  sent 
me  word  that,  did  not  his  official  position  prevent,  nothing 
would  have  given  him  more  delight  than  to  take  up  the  cudgels 
in  my  behalf.  This,  in  face  of  the  fact  that  Mr.  La  Force 
was  a  close  friend  of  Mr.  Burr.  But  then,  I  think,  both  Mr. 
Burr  and  Mr.  Livingston  believed  Mr.  La  Force  to  be  mistaken, 
but  not  malignant.  They  considered  that  he  had  been  led 
astray  by  a  peculiar  net  of  circumstances,  and  they  looked  upon 
his  action  in  accusing  me  merely  as  evidence  of  his  over-zeal 
in  his  employer's  service. 

It  was  Mr.  Hamilton,  the  great  Hamilton,  who  was  finally 
decided  upon  to  conduct  my  defense,  and  opposed  to  him  was 
the  prosecuting  attorney  who  had  a  reputation  for  skill,  espe 
cially  in  the  matter  of  conducting  a  cross-examination,  almost 
equal  to  Hamilton's. 

A  great  throng  crowded  the  room  where  the,  trial  was  held, 
which  was  a  large  upper  chamber  in  that  very  City  Hall  where 
I  had  spent  two  days  in  the  mayor's  office,  and  where  I  was 
supposed  to  have  committed  my  crime.  I  could  not,  for  a  while, 
lift  my  eyes  to  face  that  curious  throng,  but,  bethinking  me 
that  my  downcast  eyes  might  be  taken  by  some  as  evidence  of 
guilt,  I  found  the  courage  to  raise  them  and  look  calmly  over 
the  room.  My  soul  shrank  when  I  noted  many  women,  and 
for  a  long  time  I  would  not  look  at  any  woman,  fearing  I 
would  meet  Miss  Livingston's  mocking  gaze  or  Mademoiselle's 

239 


MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

pitying  one.  But  after  a  while  I  was  as  powerfully  impelled 
to  look  as  I  had  been  to  refrain  from  looking,  and  I  soon  dis 
covered  the  party  of  my  friends,  Irving  and  William  and 
Kemble  and  every  one  of  the  Lads  of  Kilkenny,  a  little  coterie 
surrounding  a  group  of  women,  where  I  soon  recognized  Mrs. 
Hamilton's  sweet,  motherly  face,  Mrs.  Theodosia  Burr  Alston's 
brilliant  one,  the  beautiful  Mrs.  Montgomery  and  the  laughing, 
sparkling  Miss  Livingston.  Each  one  as  she  caught  my  eye 
sent  me  a  swift  little  nod  or  smile  or  wave  of  a  white  hand, 
betokening  friendliness,  but  among  that  group  of  friends  I 
searched  in  vain  for  Mademoiselle.  I  hardly  knew  whether  to 
be  pleased  or  hurt  by  her  absence.  Did  it  denote  an  unwilling 
ness  to  be  witness  to  my  disgrace,  or  an  indifference  to  my  fate  ? 
I  could  hardly  believe  the  latter  in  the  face  of  her  words  to 
me  in  the  Bridewell,  and  on  the  whole  I  was  glad  she  was  not 
there. 

The  time  of  preparation  for  the  trial  had  been  incredibly 
short,  as  I  had  known  trials  in  England.  It  was  just  one 
week  from  the  day  of  my  arrest  that  I  found  myself  sitting 
in  the  prisoner's  box  in  that  crowded  room  and  awaiting  that 
opening  question  of  the  trial  — "  Guilty  or  not  guilty  ?  " 

I  was  startled  at  my  own  voice,  for  I  had  intended  to  speak 
quietly,  and  my  "  Not  guilty  "  rang  out  as  I  had  not  expected 
it  to  do.  It  roused  me  from  the  apathy  into  which  I  had  sunk 
at  sight  of  the  crowded  court-room,  and  I  determined  to  fol 
low  my  own  trial  keenly.  Not  one  point  made  by  either  side 
should  escape  me,  and  if  I  discovered  anything  which  I  thought 
could  in  any  way  be  a  help  to  my  case  I  should  communicate 
it  to  my  counsel,  who  sat  conveniently  near  me. 

I  confess  the  opening  speech  of  the  prosecuting  attorney 
appalled  me  and  I  could  see  it  made  a  decided  impression  upon 
the  jurors,  twelve  sturdy-looking  yeomen,  who  looked  sufficiently 
honest  and  intelligent,  but  who,  I  feared,  were  not  free  from 
the  natural  prejudice  every  American  feels  toward  a  Briton. 

"  The  state  will  prove  by  its  witnesses,"  said  the  prosecuting 
attorney,  "  that  a  very  large  sum  of  the  city's  money  disap 
peared  from  the  mayor's  office  during  his  illness;  that  its 


MR.  HAMILTON  MAKES  TWO  WAGERS         241 

disappearance  was  discovered  just  after  the  prisoner  had  been 
left  in  sole  charge  of  the  office  for  several  days  with  the  keys 
to  the  money  vaults  in  his  possession;  that  immediately  after 
his  occupancy  of  the  mayor's  office  he  was  noticed  to  be  very 
free  with  American  money,  whereas  up  to  that  time  he  had 
only  English  money  in  his  possession;  and  finally,  that  his 
previous  record  is  a  dubious  one:  he  was  sent  to  this  country 
either  as  a  fugitive  from  justice  at  home  or  in  the  hope  of 
reforming  him  by  a  lengthened  absence  from  corrupting  asso 
ciations  in  his  native  land." 

At  this  last  accusation  I  must  indeed  have  looked  the  crim 
inal  they  charged  me  with  being,  for  I  turned  scarlet  with 
shame.  But  catching  Irving^s  eye,  in  swift  pantomime  he 
expressed  his  pretended  horror  at  this  exposure  of  my  true 
character,  and  Miss  Livingston,  who  sat  beside  him,  put  on 
such  a  preternaturally  sober  look  and  shook  her  head  at  me  so 
solemnly  that  I  smiled  in  spite  of  myself.  A  smile  of  which 
the  prosecuting  attorney  took  quick  advantage  by  expressing 
the  "  sorrow  one  must  naturally  feel  at  seeing  so  young  a  crim 
inal  so  hardened  to  all  sense  of  shame." 

The  judge,  I  think,  had  seen  Irving's  pantomime  and  the 
effect  it  produced  upon  me,  for  he  spoke  sharply  to  the  assem 
bly.  If  he  discovered  any  further  attempts  among  the  spec 
tators  at  trying  to  communicate  with  the  prisoner  by  signs, 
he  would  have  the  court-room  cleared  at  once.  Even  then  Irv 
ing  could  not  refrain  from  bestowing  upon  me  a  solemn  wink, 
but  I  maintained  the  face  of  a  sphinx  and  set  myself  in  earnest 
to  the  work  of  listening. 

For  the  prosecuting  attorney  was.  calling  his.  first  witness, 
who,  he  said,  would  testify  to  the  reasons  for  my  being  sent 
from  home.  I  was  curious  enough  to  know  who  could  testify 
to  that.  I  had  told  no  one  but  Mademoiselle,  and  I  was  quite 
sure  she  was  not  going  to  betray  my  confidence,  made  to  her 
on  the  way  home  from  Montgomery  Place.  Nor  did  I  see 
what  bearing  on  the  case  my  affair  with  Peggy  would  have,  if 
she  should. 

To  my  amazement  it  was  my  old  friend  Captain  Skinner 


MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

of  the  Sea  Gull  who  was  called.  He  was  a  most  unwilling 
witness,  that  was  evident,  and  he  sought  my  face  on  his  entry 
into  the  witness  box  with  a  glance  full  of  apology.  Every 
word  was  pulled  from  him  as  with  a  dentist's  forceps.  I  am 
sure  he  would  have  helped  my  case  more,  if  he  had  been  a  more 
willing  witness;  he  had  all  the  air  of  having  some  damaging 
testimony  he  wished  to  conceal. 

"  Do  you  know  the  prisoner  ?  "  demanded  the  attorney. 

"  Waal,  slightly,  yer  Honor,"  replied  the  witness. 

"  Eeserve  '  Your  Honor '  for  the  Court,"  said  the  attorney 
sharply,  and  went  on:  "Where  did  you  first  meet  the  pris 
oner  ?  " 

"  Aboard  the  Sea  Gull,  yer  — "  He  gulped  and  stopped 
short.  The  jury  tittered. 

"  Who  was  with  the  prisoner  when  you  met  him  ?  " 

"Another  gentleman,  ef  I  recolleck  rightly/' 

"  Was  this  other  gentleman  his  father  ?  " 

"  Waal  —  he  might  have  been." 

"  Did  you  not  know  that  he  was  ?  " 

"  Waal  —  yes  —  I  calkelate  I  did." 

"  Did  you  have  any  conversation  with  this  young  gentleman 
when  you  first  met  him  ?  " 

"  I  reckon  I  passed  the  time  o'  day  with  him." 

"  Please  do  not  '  reckon  '  or  *  calculate '  in  your  answers,  but 
tell  me  exactly  what  you  remember,  all  you  remember,  and  no 
more,"  said  the  attorney  sharply. 

"Yaas,  sir,"  said  the  captain  with  a  droll  glance  at  me 
that  set  some  of  the  men  in  the  jury  to  tittering  again.  The 
attorney  saw  and  was  irritated,  as  the  manner  of  his  next  ques 
tion  betrayed. 

"  Did  you  or  did  you  not  at  any  time  have  any  private 
conversation  with  the  prisoner's  father  ?  " 

The  captain  hesitated. 

"Well?  A  little  quicker,  if  you  please,  Captain  Skinner," 
snapped  the  attorney. 

"  I  'm  tryin'  to  recolleck,  sir.  It  kinder  seems  to  me  I  did," 
drawled  the  captain. 


MR.  HAMILTON  MAKES  TWO  WAGEES         243 

"  Tell  the  Court,  if  you  please,  the  nature  of  that  conversa 
tion." 

"  It  was  private,  sir,"  responded  the  captain  in  his  slow 
drawl,  but  with  a  twinkling  eye,  and  this  time  some  of  the  jury 
snickered  aloud,  and  some  of  the  spectators  guffawed. 

"  Order !  "  shouted  the  officer  of  the  court,  and  the  attorney 
thundered  at  the  witness: 

"  Eepeat  to  the  Court,  as  nearly  as  you  can  recollect,  every 
word  of  the  conversation  between  yourself  and  Lord  March- 
mont." 

"  Waal,"  began  the  captain  imperturbably,  "  ez  near  ez  I 
recolleck,  Lord  Marchmont  says  — '  Ken  I  hev  a  word  with  you 
in  your  cabin,  Captain  Skinner  ? '  An'  I  sez,  '  Bime-by,  my 
lord.'  An'  when  I  had  a  moment's  leisure,  I  says,  e  I  'm  at 
your  service,  my  lord,'  an'  he  says,  '  Thank  you,  Cap'n.'  An' 
when  we  come  into  my  cabin,  I  says,  '  Be  seated,  my  lord,'  an' 
he  says,  '  Thank  you,  Cap'n.'  * 

By  this  time  there  was  a  general  titter  all  over  the  house, 
including  the  jurors.  Even  the  judge  on  his  bench  was  strug 
gling  to  repress  a  smile  and  Mr.  Hamilton  was  beaming.  Only 
the  prosecuting  attorney  was  not  smiling  —  he  was  furiously 
angry. 

"  Confine  yourself  to  a  repetition  only  of  the  important  parts 
of  your  conversation  with  Lord  Marchmont,"  he  ordered. 

"  Yaas,  sir ;  ef  I  ken  jedge  what  wuz  important  and  what 
wa'  n't,"  drawled  the  captain. 

"  Go  on,  sir,"  thundered  the  attorney.  "  Did  Lord  March 
mont  have  any  instructions  to  give  you,  or  any  message  or 
information  concerning  his  son  ?  " 

"  Yaas,  sir." 

"What  was  it?" 

"  'T  was  private,  sir." 

"  Your  Honor,"  the  attorney,  exasperated  beyond  the  limit  of 
patience,  appealed  to  the  judge,  "  will  the  Court  order  this 
witness  to  tell  what  he  knows  ?  " 

"  The  witness  will  give  the  prosecuting  attorney  freely  all 
the  information  in  his  possession  or  be  committed  for  contempt 


244  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

of  court,"  said  His  Honor  sternly,  but  the  twinkle  not  quite 
all  out  of  his  eye. 

"  Very  well,  yer  Honor,"  said  the  captain  quietly,  and  for 
the  first  time  looking  troubled.  "  I  will  answer  them  questions 
to  the  best  of  my  ability  ef  the  lawyer  will  ask  'em  so  's  I  can 
be  sure  of  what  he  wants  to  know." 

"You  say  Lord  Marchmont  made  you  a  communication  con 
cerning  his  son,  of  a  private  nature.  Will  you  give  the  Court 
the  substance  of  that  communication  in  as  nearly  the  exact 
words  of  his  lordship  as  you  can  recollect  ?  "  said  the  attorney, 
taking  up  his  examination  once  more. 

"His  lordship  said,"  began  the  captain  with  an  air  of  de 
termination,  and  then  stopped. 

"  Yes  ?  "  said  the  attorney  encouragingly. 

"  His  lordship  said,"  he  began  again  desperately,  "  he  calke- 
lated  it  was  best  for  his  son  to  spend  a  couple  o'  years  in 
America." 

"  Did  his  lordship  give  his  reasons  ?  " 

"  I  think  he  said  't  was  on  account  of  a  little  affair  Sir 
Li'nel  hed  been  engaged  in,"  reluctantly,  and  greatly  embar 
rassed. 

"  Do  you  mean  a  duel  ?  " 

"  He  did  not  tell  me  what  kind  o'  affair." 

"  Had  you  any  reason  to  believe  it  was  a  disgraceful  affair  of 
any  kind  ?  " 

"  I  hed  no  means  o'  knowin'  anythin'  about  it." 

"  Except  what  his  lordship  said  ?  " 

"  Except  what  his  lordship  said." 

"  Can  you  give  me  Lord  Marchmont's  exact  words  ? " 

Here  the  good  captain  hesitated  again,  and  at  last  he 
spoke  with  difficulty,  each  word  apparently  costing  him  great 
pain: 

"  As  near  as  I  can  recolleck,  these  was  his  words  — '  My  son 
hes  become  involved  in  an  affair  which  has  given  great  consarn 
to  his  friends.  It  is  our  hope  that  residin'  abroad  for  a  year 
or  two  will  cure  him  and  be  a  benefit  to  him  in  every  way/ '; 

The  prosecuting  attorney  glanced  triumphantly  at  the  jury, 


MR.  HAMILTON  MAKES  TWO  WAGERS         245 

every  man  of  whom  assumed  an  air  of  preternatural  wisdom. 
Then  he  went  on  with  his  examination : 

"  Was  there  anything  further  of  importance  in  your  inter 
view  with  Lord  Marchmont  ?  " 

"  Nothin'  of  importance/' 

"  There  was  something,  however  ?  " 

"  Yaas,  sir,  a  little  somethin'." 

"What  was  it?" 

"  He  give  me  two  letters  for  his  son." 

"  From  himself  ?  " 

"  One  wuz  from  himself." 

"  Do  you  know  from  whom  the  other  letter  was  ?  " 

"  No,  sir," 

"  Did  you  deliver  these  letters  immediately  ?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  When  did  you  deliver  them  ?  " 

"  After  we  left  Lee  Havver." 

"  Why  did  you  wait  so  long  ?  " 

"  Those  wuz  my  instructions." 

"Did  the  letters  seem  to  produce  any  effect  on  the  young 
man?" 

"  I  thought  they  did,  sir." 

"  What  effect  ?  " 

"  They  seemed  to  make  him  seasick ;  he  kep'  his  cabin  for 
several  days." 

A  peal  of  laughter  greeted  this  last  reply,  quickly  quieted 
by  the  officer.  I  felt  myself  turn  scarlet,  but  under  cover  of 
the  slight  confusion,  Mr.  Hamilton  turned  to  me  and  spoke 
quickly : 

"  Is  there  anything  in  this  '  affair/  Sir  Lionel  ?  " 

"  There  was  something,  but  it  is  all  over,"  I  answered,  turn 
ing  a  deeper  red  under  his  keen  eyes. 

"Was  it  a  love  affair?" 

"  I  thought  so  at  the  time.  I  know  now  it  could  not  be 
called  by  so  dignified  a  name." 

"Are  you  willing  that  I  should  so  explain  it  to  the  Court?" 

"  Not  unless  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  sir." 


246 

"  It  was  your  father's  reason  for  sending  you  abroad  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir.  That  and  to  keep  me  out  of  the  army  for  a  year 
or  two  longer."' 

The  questions  and  answers  had  been  hurried,  for  the  pros 
ecuting  attorney  was  just  finishing  with  his  witness.  I  had 
not  heard  his  last  question,  but  I  caught  the  end  of  Captain 
Skinner's  reply,  which  produced  another  peal  of  laughter  and 
drenched  me  with  another  wave  of  scarlet. 

"  I  wa'  n't  sure  but  he  was  lovesick/'  drawled  the  captain. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,"  said  the  attorney,  "  you  have 
heard  the  testimony  of  this  honest  sea  captain,  proving  beyond 
a  doubt  that  the  prisoner  was  sent  abroad  either  because  he  had 
already  committed  a  crime  or  had  acquired  vicious  habits  which 
his  father  hoped  to  reform." 

And  then,  turning  blandly  to  Mr.  Hamilton : 

"Does  my  learned  opponent  desire  to  examine  the  witness 
further?" 

Mr.  Hamilton  was  on  his  feet  in  a  moment. 

"  I  would  not  like  to  risk  spoiling  the  good  impression  your 
witness's  testimony  has  produced  for  my  client;  I  will  waive 
my  privilege,  Mr.  Attorney.  Only,  permit  me  to  thank  Cap 
tain  Skinner  for  his  valuable  evidence  in  behalf  of  a  young 
man  sent  away  from  home  because  he  was  too  young,  or  so  his 
father  thought,  to  enter  the  army  on  the  eve  of  war.  No 
doubt,  as  Captain  Skinner  intimates,  he  may  have  left  a  sweet 
heart  behind  him,  as  what  young  man  of  his  age  and  attractions 
would  not?  And,  no  doubt,  that  would  be  sufficient  to  account 
for  any  idiosyncrasies  of  manner  on  his  outward  voyage."  He 
bowed  with  consummate  grace  to  the  captain,  the  jury  and  the 
Court  and  sat  down. 

Now  I  had  been  terribly  irritated  with  my  friend,  Captain 
Skinner,  all  the  way  through  his  testimony,  thinking  that  he 
was  muddling  my  affairs  incredibly  and  no  doubt  doing  me 
great  damage.  I  still  think  he  would  have  done  me  much 
hurt  in  the  eyes  of  the  jury  but  for  the  clever  way  in  which 
Mr.  Hamilton  turned  his  evidence  to  our  account.  I  could 
see  the  jury  look  first  puzzled,  and  then  take  on  an  air  of  self- 


MR.  HAMILTON  MAKES  TWO  WAGERS         247 

satisfaction,  as  if  they  too  had  been  clever  enough  to  discover 
that  the  evidence  intended  to  injure  my  case  had  helped  it. 

There  were  one  or  two  unimportant  witnesses  called  next; 
one,  a  young  man  who  had  been  present  at  the  first  dinner  at 
the  Grange  and  heard  Mr.  La  Force  state  his  reasons  for  ask 
ing  me  to  take  charge  of  the  office  in  his  absence  —  that  I  might 
render  in  this  way,  the  service  to  Mr.  Livingston  that  I  ex 
pressed  myself  as  greatly  desirous  of  rendering  him,  without 
any  peril  to  myself;  the  other,  a  young  man  who  had  heard  me 
ask  Mr.  La  Force  how  the  office  was  doing,  at  my  second  din 
ner  at  the  Grange,  and  heard  him  reply  that  some  peculiar 
complications  had  arisen  within  the  last  few  days  which  he 
hoped  to  untangle  soon.  I  recall  the  names  of  neither  of  these 
young  men  —  they  had  made  no  impression  upon  me  at  the 
two  dinners  —  but  I  remember  that  the  second  one  said  that 
he  had  particularly  noted  the  nervousness  of  my  manner,  as 
of  one  conscious  of  guilt,  when  Mr.  La  Force  made  this  state 
ment!  I  believe  the  young  fellow  was  quite  sincere  in  his 
testimony;  that  his  memory  was  colored  by  a  reflected  light 
from  his  present  belief  in  my  guilt;  which  is  natural  enough, 
I  suppose. 

And  then  Mr.  La  Force  was  called. 

His  pallid  face  and  black-rimmed  eyes  had  always  given  me 
more  or  less  of  a  creepy  sensation;  now  I  could  with  difficulty 
repress  a  shudder  as  I  glanced  at  him,  for  the  pallor  of  his 
face  had  increased  to  ghastliness,  and  dark  circles  around  his 
eyes  gave  him  an  uncanny  air  that  appalled  me.  I  thought 
he  must  look  to  everyone  as  he  looked  to  me,  and  that  his  very 
appearance  would  carry  weight  with  the  jury  against  his  testi 
mony.  But  I  could  not  see  that  it  did.  Indeed,  I  must  con 
fess  the  villain  —  for  so  I  now  regarded  him  —  carried  a 
smooth  tongue.  He  told  a  straightforward  story  so  simply  and 
glibly,  that  I  could  perceive  it  had  a  most  convincing  effect 
upon  the  jury.  I  think  I  should  have  been  convinced  myself, 
had  I  been  one  of  the  jurors.  The  prosecuting  attorney  was  not 
questioning  him ;  he  had  asked  him  to  tell  the  Court  all  that 
he  knew  about  this  affair,  and  I  could  see  that  with  every  word 


248  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Mr.  La  Force  uttered,  the  attorney's  glances,  directed  to  the 
jury,  were  growing  more  and  more  triumphant. 

"  I  met  Sir  Lionel  at  a  dinner  at  Mr.  Hamilton's,"  said 
Mr.  La  Force,  after  he  had  been  duly  sworn  and  the  attorney 
had  given  him  free  rein.  "  I  was  greasy  attracted  to  him, 
and  when  I  heard  him,  with  the  generous  ardor  that  seemed 
natural  to  him,  insist  upon  being  allowed  to  aid  in  nursing 
Mr.  Livingston,  I  wanted  to  dissuade  him  —  as  General  Hamil 
ton  and  Senator  Morris  were  endeavoring  to  do  —  from  ex 
posing  himself  to  such  peril.  Then  it  occurred  to  me  that  if 
I  could  convince  him  that  he  would  be  rendering  Mayor  Liv 
ingston  as  great  a  service  by  sitting  for  two  days  in  his  office, 
I  would  at  least  be  postponing  his  peril  until  he  had  time  to 
recover  from  the  effects  of  his  sea-voyage,  and  be  in  a  better 
condition  to  withstand  the  assaults  of  fever.  It  was  imperative 
that  I  should  leave  the  city  for  two  days,  but  I  had  other 
friends  whom  I  could  trust  implicitly  who  would  gladly  have 
served  me,  and  still  more  gladly  have  served  Mayor  Livingston. 

"  But  I  believed  I  could  trust  Sir  Lionel.  His  face  and  his 
manner  are  such  as  to  win  confidence  from  a  stranger,  and 
I  foolishly  thought  his  rank  was  sufficient  guaranty  of  his 
integrity.  He  consented,  after  some  persuasion,  and  when  he 
came  to  the  office  I  showed  him,  among  other  things,  the  money 
vaults,  and  gave  him  the  keys  in  case  there  should  be  any  un 
foreseen  necessity  for  paying  out  money  —  possibly  an  order 
from  Mayor  Livingston.  I  am  bound  to  say  the  prisoner  made 
some  slight  demur  at  having  the  secrets  of  the  money  vaults 
disclosed  to  him,  saying  he  was  quite  sure  there  could  be  no 
need  of  money  in  two  days.  At  the  time  I  liked  his  demurral 
as  another  evidence  of  his  trustworthiness;  it  has  seemed  to 
me  since  rather  as  a  token  of  duplicity.  I  gave  him,  also,  an 
exact  list  of  the  amount  of  money  in  the  vaults,  in  gold,  silver 
and  notes,  which,  even  had  I  doubted  his  honesty,  I  would 
have  regarded  as  a  sufficient  check  on  him. 

"  After  my  return  to  the  office  I  had  no  occasion,  for  a  day 
or  two,  to  go  to  the  money  vaults.  They  seemed  undisturbed, 
and  for  some  days,  perhaps  a  week  or  more,  such  money  as  I 


ME.  HAMILTON  MAKES  TWO  WAGERS         219 

needed  was  taken  from  the  top  layers,  and  I  did  not  suspect 
anything  wrong.  It  must  have  been  fully  two  weeks  after  my 
return  that  I  discovered  that  it  was  only  the  two  upper  layers 
that  were  intact.  All  below  was  mere  waste  paper,  old  books, 
and  ledgers,  neatly  covered,  as  was  each  layer  of  money,  by  a 
sheet  of  brown  paper. 

"  I  was  utterly  horrified  and,  for  a  while,  dazed.  I  did  not, 
at  first,  think  of  Sir  Lionel  as  the  possible  culprit.  I  could 
think  of  no  one  who  could  have  accomplished  the  crime  but 
our  janitor,  Pompey,  formerly  one  of  Mayor  Livingston's  slaves, 
only  lately  set  free,  and  devoted  to  the  mayor,  body  and  soul. 
He  had  always  shown  himself  honest  as  the  day  and  faithful 
in  all  his  duties.  I  hated  to  suspect  him,  but  I  could  think 
of  no  one  else  who  could  have  the  same  opportunities. 

"  On  the  very  day  that  I  made  the  discovery  of  the  theft  I 
noticed  a  piece  of  gold  in  Pompey's  possession.  It  was  very 
remarkable  for  Pompey  to  be  possessing  gold.  I  had  never 
known  him  to  have  much  but  coppers  before,  and  I  asked  him 
how  he  came  to  have  a  five  dollar  gold  piece.  '  Marse  Li'nel  gabe 
it  to  me,  sir/  was  his  reply,  and  for  the  first  time  a  suspicion 
of  Sir  Lionel  flashed  into  my  mind.  I  asked  Pompey  to  let 
me  look  at  the  piece  of  gold,  and,  sure  enough,  it  bore  the 
mark  that  I  had  myself  placed  on  every  gold  piece  as  I  de 
posited  it  in  the  drawer.  After  that,  I  could  hardly  help 
believing  Sir  Lionel  guilty,  yet  I  was  very  unwilling  to  do  so. 

"  Then,  day  by  day,  little  items  of  information  came  to  me, 
each  one  strengthening  my  conviction  of  his  guilt.  I  learned 
that  Sir  Lionel  had  been  sent  away  from  home  by  his  father 
because  of  some  scrape  he  had  been  in  at  home.  I  learned 
that  he  was  much  addicted  to  cards  and  betting;  that,  though 
his  allowance  was  liberal,  it  was  his  habit  to  be  always,  or 
often  at  least,  hard  up ;  that  finally  he  had  made  a  very  heavy 
bet  with  one  of  the  young  gentlemen  who  go  to  Cockloft  Hal] 
on  the  very  night  before  taking  possession  of  the  mayor's  office, 
and  had  lost.  When  I  summed  up  all  these  items  as  to  the 
Character  and  habits  of  Sir  Lionel,  I  could  arrive  at  but  one 
conclusion. 


250  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Yet  when  I  had  arrived  at  that  conclusion  I  was  still  be 
wildered  as  to  what  steps  I  ought  to  take.  Mayor  Livingston, 
although  on  the  high  road  to  recovery,  was  still  too  ill  to  come 
to  the  office.  I  did  not  believe  I  ought  to  run  the  risk  of 
throwing  him  into  a  possibly  fatal  relapse,  by  conveying  to  him 
the  startling  intelligence  of  the  robbery.  Still  less  did  I  be 
lieve  that  I  ought  to  inform  anyone  else  until  I  could  inform 
Mayor  Livingston.  Whoever  should  prove  to  be  the  guilty  one, 
the  disgrace  and  the  burden  of  restitution  must  fall  on  him. 
And  I  was  the  more  willing  to  wait  until  the  mayor  should 
be  able  to  come  to  the  office  and  learn  there  the  dreadful  tidings, 
because  the  man  I  suspected  was  himself  ill  of  the  fever,  at 
death's  door,  report  said.  There  was  no  chance  of  his  escape. 

"  Mr.  Livingston  was  as  unwilling  as  I  had  been  to  think  Sir 
Lionel  guilty,  though  I  believe,  when  I  had  set  all  the  facts 
before  him,  he  was  convinced,  but  unwilling  to  say  so.  He 
was  leaving  the  very  next  morning  for  Clermont  and  Sir 
Lionel  was  going  with  him.  He  begged  me  to  say  nothing 
of  my  suspicions.  He  would  lay  the  matter  before  the  proper 
authorities  in  a  letter  from  Clermont  and  every  assistance 
should  be  given  the  authorities  in  discovering  the  thief,  but  he 
himself  would  make  no  suggestions  as  to  whom  it  might  be 
and  he  begged  me  not  to  do  so. 

"  Mayor  Livingston  was  completely  crushed  by  the  tidings, 
as  was  natural,  for  it  meant  not  only  disgrace,  but  also  financial 
ruin.  (  Every  shilling  of  the  amount  taken  shall  be  returned 
to  the  city  if  it  takes  every  shilling  I  possess,'  he  said  grimly, 
and  I  was  so  deeply  touched  at  his  utterance  and  the  manner 
of  it  that  I  determined,  from  that  moment,  that  I  would  bring 
the  criminal  to  justice  and  make  him  restore  his  booty,  whether 
Mayor  Livingston  approved  or  not. 

"In  the  three  wrecks  that  the  Mayor  and  Sir  Lionel  have 
been  in  Clermont,  I  have  collected  much  testimony  that  made 
the  matter  clear  to  my  mind.  A  chance  remark  of  Captain 
Skinner's,  when  I  happened,  one  night,  to  be  taking  dinner 
with  him,  at  the  Tontine  Coffee  House,  convinced  me  that  he 
could  tell  something  of  importance  concerning  the  reasons  for 


MR.  HAMILTON  MAKES  TWO  WAGERS         251 

« 

Sir  Lionel's  voyage  to  America.  Pompey  also  had  an  interest 
ing  bit  of  information  to  give  me,  and  altogether  I  decided 
that,  for  Mayor  Livingston's  sake,  my  only  right  course  was, 
when  opportunity  should  offer,  to  secure  Sir  Lionel's  arrest. 
The  opportunity  came  sooner  than  I  expected.  When  I  saw 
Sir  Lionel  standing  on  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd  at  the  laying 
of  the  corner-stone,  and  evidently  endeavoring  to  keep  himself 
concealed  —  as  one  might  do  who  was  conscious  of  guilt  —  I  left 
the  platform  where  I  was  sitting,  hastened  to  the  Bridewell 
and  secured  a  constable  and  a  warrant  for  his  arrest." 

"  That  is  all  you  have  to  say  ?  "  asked  the  attorney,  as  Mr. 
La  Force  had  evidently  finished  his  story. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  believe  that  is  all,"  returned  Mr.  La  Force. 

"  Your  Honor,"  said  the  attorney,  turning  to  the  judge,  "  I 
believe  no  questions  of  mine  could  bring  out  more  forcibly  the 
truth  of  this  simple  story  than  the  straightforward  way  in 
which  Mr.  La  Force  has  told  it.  If  it  has  not  carried  convic 
tion  to  the  mind  of  every  juryman  hearing  it  then  they  are 
not  the  intelligent  body  of  men  I  take  them  to  be.  I  leave 
my  witness  with  confidence  in  the  hands  of  my  honorable  op 
ponent." 

To  my  consternation,  Mr.  Hamilton  declined  to  cross-ex 
amine,  at  present,  he  said,  but  he  begged  permission  of  the 
prosecuting  attorney  to  be  allowed  to  do  so  after  his  own  wit 
nesses  had  been  called,  and  therefore  asked  that  Mr.  La  Force 
should  still  be  retained  in  custody. 

"  It  is  an  unusual  request,  but  if  His  Honor  allows  it,  I 
will  make  no  objection,"  said  the  attorney  stiffly. 

The  judge  allowed  it,  and  Mr.  La  Force  was  once  more  re 
manded  to  custody,  and  I  thought  I  discovered  a  swift  flash 
of  some  emotion,  either  of  fear  or  resentment,  in  those  black- 
rimmed  eyes  when  Mr.  Hamilton's  request  was  preferred. 

I  have  said  that  I  heard  Mr.  Hamilton  decline  to  cross- 
examine  with  consternation.  He  had  heard  my  version  of  Mr. 
La  Force's  story,  and  it  seemed  to  me  there  were  many  points 
where  he  could  have  brought  out  an  entirely  different  impres 
sion  from  the  one  evidently  left  upon  the  minds  of  the  jury. 


252  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Could  it  be  possible  Mr.  La  Force's  recital  had  convinced  Mr. 
Hamilton  himself?  He  had  sat  with  downcast  eyes  and  an 
inscrutable  countenance  through  the  telling  of  it  except  that, 
occasionally,  he  had  flashed  a  swift,  keen  glance  at  Mr.  La 
Force,  as  if  he  would  pierce  that  white  mask  and  read  in  the 
speaker's  very  soul  the  truth  or  falsity  of  his  tale. 

I  was  the  more  dismayed  by  the  fear  that  Mr.  Hamilton 
himself  was  beginning  to  believe  in  my  guilt,  because  Mr.  La 
Force's  story  had  well-nigh  convinced  me,  so  cleverly,  with 
such  an  air  of  conviction,  it  had  been  told.  Of  course  it 
was  impossible  that  I  could  believe  in  my  own  guilt,  but  I 
was  well-nigh  convinced  that  Mr.  La  Force  believed  in  it. 
Heretofore  I  had  thought  him  animated  by  malignity  toward 
me  — •  possibly  on  Miss  Desloge's  account  —  I  had  even,  at  in 
tervals,  wondered  if  he  himself  could  be  the  criminal,  though 
I  never  allowed  myself  to  dwell  on  that  —  but  now  I  began 
to  believe,  with  Mr.  Burr  and  Mr.  Livingston,  that  Mr.  La 
Force  was  honest  and  actuated  entirely  by  zeal  for  and  sym 
pathy  with  his  employer. 

The  next  witness  called  was  the  black  janitor,  Pompey. 
Now  Pompey  had  been  most  attentive  to  me  in  my  two  days' 
incarceration  in  the  Mayor's  office.  I  had  liked  his  honest, 
grinning  black  face  well,  and  I  had  thought  he  liked  me.  I  was 
sorry  to  see  that  he,  too,  believed  in  my  guilt  and  was  to  testify 
against  me. 

"  Look  at  the  prisoner.  Have  you  ever  seen  him  ?  "  was  the 
attorney's  first  question  to  Pompey. 

"Yaas,  Marsah,"  replied  Pompey,  with  one  scared  glance  at 
me,  the  whites  of  his  eyes  rolling  wildly. 

"  Where  ?  " 

"  In  Marse  Livingston's  offus." 

"  How  many  times  did  you  see  him  there  ?  " 

"  Mebbe  twenty,  mebbe  ten ;  I  dunno  fo'  shoah,  Marsah." 

"  What  were  the  occasions  of  your  seeing  him  ?  " 

"  Sah  ?  "  queried  the  bewildered  and  alarmed  Pompey. 

"  I  mean,  were  you  waiting  on  the  prisoner  when  you  saw 
him,  and  what  were  you  doing  ?  " 


MR.  HAMILTON  MAKES  TWO  WAGEES         253 

"  Oh,  yaas,  sah/'  Pompey  was  relieved.  "  Sometimes  I  done 
tek  him  water,  sometimes  I  done  tek  him  lemon  squash,  some 
times  one  t'ing,  sometimes  anudder." 

"  When  you  took  him  these  things,  what  was  he  doing  as  a 
rule?" 

"  Mos'  genelly  readin',  sah." 

"Always?" 

"  'Ceptin'  onct,  I  bleeve." 

"  What  was  he  doing  that  once  ?  " 

"  He  was  comin'  out  ob  de  nex'  room." 

"  What  was  the  next  room  ?  " 

"  De  room  whar  Marse  Livingston  keep  de  money." 

"  How  do  you  know  Mayor  Livingston  keeps  the  money 
there?" 

"  I  done  seed  it,  sah." 

"  Did  he  ever  send  you  there  to  get  money  by  yourself  ?  " 

"  Fo'  de  Lawd,  no !  "  exclaimed  Pompey,  frightened  out  of 
his  manners  by  the  suggestion. 

"  How  did  the  prisoner  look  when  you  saw  him  coming  out 
of  the  next  room  ?  " 

"  He  look  kind  o'  sceered,  sah." 

"In  what  way  did  he  look  scared?" 

"  He  all  red  an'  flustery,  sah." 

"  What  did  he  say  to  you  ?  " 

"  He  say,  '  What  yoh  doin'  hyar,  Pompey  ?  ' : 

"  Did  he  say  anything  else  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sah,  he  say,  '  When  I  need  yo',  I  '11  ring  for  yo'.  Yoh 
doan  need  come  in  hyar  ebery  few  minutes.'  " 

"  Did  you  enter  the  office  after  that  except  when  the  prisoner 
rang  ?  " 

"  No,  sah." 

"  Did  he  ring  often  ?  " 

"  No,  sah." 

This  was  a  telling  speech  of  Pompey's,  and  I  could  see  its 
effect  on  the  jury.  I  racked  my  brains  to  recall  whether  I 
had  ever  said  any  such  thing  to  him.  I  thought  it  possible 
I  had,  for  he  rather  pestered  me  with  attentions.  But  as  to 


254 

his  seeing  me  come  from  the  money  room,  looking  "  red  and 
flustered/'  I  believed  that  to  be  a  pure  invention.  I  could  not 
remember  going  into  that  "  next  room  "  at  all.  And  then  it 
flashed  into  my  mind  that  here  was  the  thief !  As  Mr.  La 
Force  had  said,  he  had  plenty  of  opportunities  and  he  had 
cunningly  made  up  that  story  about  surprising  me  coming 
from  the  money  room  to  cover  his  own  tracks.  I  leaned  over 
and  whispered  to  Mr.  Hamilton: 

"  There  is  the  thief !  " 

Mr.  Hamilton  looked  at  him  keenly  for  a  minute  and  then 
as  keenly  at  me. 

"Did  you  never  go  into  that  next  room?  or  rather  did 
Pompey  never  meet  you  coming  from  it  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  cannot  recall  ever  entering  it,  except  the  one  time  Mr. 
La  Force  took  me  there." 

"  Perhaps  he  is  the  thief,"  said  Mr.  Hamilton  quietly,  and 
set  himself  again  to  listening. 

"Did  the  prisoner  tip  you  as  he  was  leaving?"  the  attorney 
was  asking  as  I  began  to  listen  once  more. 

"Not  jes'  as  he  wuz  leavin',  mebbe  'twuz  a  couple  o'  hours 
befoah." 

"  Was  Mr.  La  Force  present  ?  " 

"  No,  sah." 

"  How  much  did  he  give  you?  " 

"Five  dollahs,  sah."  Pompey's  eyes  rolled  again.  It 
seemed  to  have  been  an  extraordinary  amount,  yet  in  England 
I  have  often  given  a  sovereign  to  a  servant  in  a  house  where  I 
had  been  visiting. 

"  What  did  he  say  when  he  gave  it  to  you  ?  " 

"  He  say  I  bin  bery  p'lite  an'  'tentif,  sah,  an'  he  t'ank  me. 
He  seem  like  bery  nice  gen'leman,  sah,  an'  I  sorry  he  'm  in 
trubble,"  with  a  roll  of  his  eyes  toward  me,  as  if  to  beg  my 
pardon  for  testifying  against  me. 

The  spectators  laughed  good-naturedly.  Audience  and  jury- 
evidently  believed  in  Pompey,  to  most  of  whom  he  had  been 
well  known  for  years. 

"Your  Honor,"  said  the  attorney,  "I  think  I  do  not  need 


MR.  HAMILTON  MAKES  TWO  WAGERS         255 

to  question  this  witness  further.  Honesty  and  truth  are  writ 
ten  in  every  line  of  his  shining  black  countenance,  and  I  think 
the  enlightened  jury  will  agree  with  me  that  his  testimony  has 
been  most  damaging  to  the  prisoner. 

"  He  has  made  two  incontrovertible  points.  He  surprised 
the  prisoner  coming  from  the  money  room  when  there  was 
evidently  no  necessity  of  his  going  there,  and  the  prisoner  was 
red  and  flustered,  and  reprimanded  him  sharply  for  entering 
the  office  *  every  few  minutes'  without  being  summoned.  Of 
course,  if  he  had  nefarious  designs  to  accomplish,  it  was  very 
awkward  indeed  to  have  the  honest  darkey  entering  at  any 
inauspicious  moment.  It  would  appear  that  Pompey's  entrance 
at  that  time  probably  frustrated  his  design,  but  that,  since  after 
wards  the  witness  came  only  when  summoned,  the  prisoner  had 
plenty  of  opportunity  to  accomplish  it  later. 

"  His  second  incontrovertible  point  was  the  tip,  of  such  size 
as  is  never  given  to  a  negro  in  this  country,  but  bestowed,  no 
doubt,  with  the  intention  of  sealing  the  negro's  lips  when  ques 
tions  should  be  asked.  Moreover,  it  was  not  given  on  leaving, 
the  usual  time  for  tips,  for  the  very  good  reason  that  Mr.  La 
Force  would  then  have  been  present,  which  would,  no  doubt, 
have  been  extremely  awkward  for  the  prisoner.  No,  it  was 
given  several  hours  before  Mr.  La  Force  had  reached  the  office. 
Fortunately,  Mr.  La  Force  discovered  that  it  had  been  given, 
and  still  more  fortunately,  Mr.  La  Force,  with  the  foresight 
for  which  he  is  noted,  had  marked  the  gold  pieces  in  the 
drawer.  The  proof  is  incontrovertible.  Will  the  honorable 
counsel  for  the  defendant  question  the  witness  further?" 

Mr.  Hamilton  was  on  his  feet,  with  a  smiling  countenance. 

"  Your  Honor,  may  I  inquire  of  my  distinguished  opponent 
whether  this  is  his  last  witness  ?  " 

"  It  is,  sir.  I  think  my  case  needs  no  others,"  said  the 
attorney  confidently. 

"  Then,  Your  Honor,"  said  Mr.  Hamilton,  still  smiling,  "  if 
I  may  be  allowed  the  same  privilege  in  the  case  of  this  witness 
as  the  former  one,  I  should  like  to  examine  him  after  the 
direct  examination  of  my  own  witnesses.  And  as  the  hour  is 


256  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

late,  and  both  my  witnesses  and  myself  would  be  better  fitted 
to  go  through  the  ordeal  after  dinner,  may  I  beg  the  Court  to 
grant  a  recess  before  beginning  on  my  direct  examinations  ?  " 

The  recess  was  granted.  I  believe  it  was  not  often  that 
anything  was  denied  to  Mr.  Hamilton's  asking,  and  I  think  he 
must  have  made  a  very  hurried  dinner,  indeed,  for  part  of 
that  recess  of  an  hour,  I  heard  afterward,  he  spent  with  his 
witnesses,  and  a  good  quarter  of  it,  I  am  sure,  he  spent  with 
me.  He  came  in,  his  face  beaming,  and  a  sandwich  in  his 
hand,  at  which  he  nibbled  occasionally  as  he  talked.  The  sand 
wich,  with,  perhaps,  a  glass  of  wine,  was  his  only  dinner,  I 
fancy. 

"  Well,  Sir  Lionel,  we  have  them,  I  believe,v  he  exclaimed 
as  he  entered,  in  a  tone  whose  cheeriness  inspired  confidence 
at  once.  I  had  been  feeling  very  blue,  and  part  of  my  blue- 
ness  had  been  that  I  was  losing  confidence,  a  little,  in  my 
counsel's  ability.  Either  he  was  not  so  great  a  lawyer  as  I  had 
heard,  or  he  had  not  the  conviction  of  my  innocence  necessary 
to  success.  So  far,  he  had  not  made  a  single  cross-examination 
and  I  had  supposed  that  was  where  his  power  lay. 

"  Have  them ! "  I  exclaimed  in  return.  "  I  was  beginning 
to  feel  they  had  us.  In  fact,  unless  you  can  prove  Pompey 
is  the  thief,  I  do  not  see  but  I  am  bound  to  be  convicted.  Mr. 
La  Force  and  Pompey  between  them  have  nearly  convinced  me 
of  my  own  guilt." 

Mr.  Hamilton  laughed. 

"  They  were  pretty  strong  witnesses,  were  n't  they  ?  "  he  asked 
gleefully.  "  But  we  have  two  who  will  make  their  evidence 
look  as  weak  as  water.  The  second  has  but  just  arrived  with 
the  messenger  I  sent  after  him,  and  I  have  been  on  pins  and 
needles  for  fear  he  would  not  come  in  time.  I  would  not  have 
the  case  postponed  because  I  did  not  want  to  keep  you  in  the 
Bridewell  any  longer,  but  if  he  had  not  arrived  when  he  did, 
I  should  have  had  to  resort  to  some  means  to  drag  it  out  until 
he  did  come.  That  is  one  reason  I  asked  for  the  recess  and 
deferred  my  cross-examinations.  He  has  just  reported  to  me 
and  everything  is  all  right." 


MR.  HAMILTON  MAKES  TWO  WAGERS         257 

"  Have  you  only  two  witnesses  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Only  two,  but  each  one  is  an  army ;  they  are  all  I  need." 

"  Would  you  mind  telling  me  who  they  are  ?  " 

"  I  would  rather  not,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  returned  quite  gravely. 
"  I  believe  it  is  better  that  you  should  not  know.  Only  trust 
me  —  I  promise  you  you  shall  be  a  free  man  before  bed-time 
to-night." 

His  voice  had  so  kind  and  true  a  ring,  I  could  not  but  trust 
him,  and  something  in  its  gentle,  friendly  tones,  and  the  kindly 
glance  of  his  eye  brought  my  father  so  vividly  before  me  that 
I  felt  the  quick  tears  springing.  Surely  it  was  wonderful  that 
I  should  have  found  such  a  friend  in  a  strange  land.  I  think 
Mr.  Hamilton  saw  that  I  was  touched,  and  he  spoke  briskly, 
with  an  entire  change  of  manner. 

"  And  now,  how  about  Pompey  ?  So  you  think  he 's  the 
thief?" 

"  Do  not  you,  sir  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  'm  not  sure,  of  course,  but  I  don't  like  to  think  so. 
I  Ve  known  Pompey  for  thirty  years  and  never  known  him 
dishonest.  But  there's  one  thing  I  want  to  ask  you.  Can't 
you  possibly  remember  going,  just  once,  into  that  room  where 
the  money  was  kept,  and  meeting  Pompey  as  you  came  out  ?  " 

Again  I  racked  my  memory  for  a  minute,  and  then  it  flashed 
upon  me. 

"  I  do,  sir,  I  do !  "  I  cried  excitedly. 

Mr.  Hamilton  smiled  quietly. 

"  Well,  tell  me  about  it." 

"It  was  the  first  day,  sir,  in  the  afternoon.  It  was  very 
hot  and  I  was  tired  of  reading.  Mr.  La  Force  had  shown  me 
a  drawer  where  I  could  find  stationery,  if  I  should  feel  like 
beguiling  the  time  with  writing  letters,  and  I  decided  that  I 
would  write  home  and  stop  at  the  post  office  on  my  way  to  my 
hotel  and  mail  the  letter.  I  opened  the  drawer  and  there,  on 
top  of  the  writing  materials,  lay  a  bunch  of  keys  that  I  recog 
nized  as  the  keys  to  the  money  vaults  Mr.  La  Force  had  shown 
me.  He  had  also  pointed  out  the  place  they  were  kept,  which 
was  in  a  drawer  in  the  next  room.  I  took  up  the  keys  imme- 
17 


258  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

diately  and  carried  them  into  the  other  room  and  deposited 
them  in  their  proper  place,  and  I  was  quite  indignant  with 
Mr.  La  Force  for  having  been  so  careless,  for,  if  I  had  not 
happened  to  discover  them,  some  thief  might  easily  have  found 
them  and  I  would  have  been  held  responsible." 

"  Do  you  remember  meeting  Pompey  as  you  came  back  ? " 
Mr.  Hamilton  asked,  smiling  his  satisfaction  that  I  had  recalled 
the  incident. 

"Yes,  I  believe  I  do.  Very  likely  I  did  look  'red  and 
flustered/  I  was  hot  enough  to  look  red  —  we  never  have  such 
heat  in  England  —  and  I  was  still  fuming  at  Mr.  La  Force 
and  no  doubt  spoke  sharply  to  Pompey." 

Mr.  Hamilton  rubbed  his  hands  gleefully  together  —  it  was 
a  characteristic  action  with  him  when  he  was  pleased. 

"  Everything  fits  in  exactly.  Every  word  you  utter  is  a  link 
in  the  chain  that  I  believe  now  to  be  complete.  Sir  Lionel,  I 
would  like  to  wager  you  that  the  jury  will  not  be  out  ten 
minutes  until  they  come  back  with  a  verdict  of  (  Not  Guilty.' ': 

"  I  'd  like  to  take  you  up,"  I  answered;  "  I  would  be  willing 
to  lose  a  tidy  sum  on  that.  But  I  suppose,  if  the  prosecuting 
attorney  should  hear  that  I  was  betting  on  my  own  conviction, 
he  would  consider  me  an  abandoned  character,  indeed,  and  hold 
me  up  for  the  reprobation  of  the  Court  and  a  warning  to  all 
youthful  Americans." 

"  No  doubt  of  it,  sir,  no  doubt  of  it ! "  exclaimed  Hamilton 
chuckling,  "  and  your  counsel  would  be  sent  to  limbo  with  you, 
where  he  has  often  been  sent  before.  By  the  way,  Sir  Lionel, 
how  do  you  explain  that  marked  piece  of  money  you  gave  to 
Pompey?  You  are  an  extravagant  rascal,  sir,  to  be  giving  gold 
to  darkies  —  a  shilling  satisfies  them  as  well." 

I  blushed  at  his  charge  of  extravagance. 

"  I  did  not  know,  sir,"  I  said  meekly.  "  As  to  the  marked 
piece,  that  is  another  of  those  strange  freaks  of  circumstantial 
evidence.  Mr.  La  Force  changed  some  English  money  for  me 
only  the  day  before.  It  slipped  his  memory,  I  suppose,  when  he 
discovered  I  had  given  a  marked  piece  to  Pompey." 

(' '  Whom  the  gods  would  destroy,  they  first  make  mad,' " 


ME.  HAMILTON  MAKES  TWO  WAGEES         259 

murmured  Mr.  Hamilton.  I  did  not  see  the  application  and 
he  seemed  so  lost  in  thought,  I  did  not  ask  him  for  it.  In  a 
moment  he  looked  up  again  brightly. 

"  By  the  way,  did  you  notice  the  mark  on  the  piece  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  I  did  not  know  it  was  marked." 

"  Have  you  any  more  of  those  pieces  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  several,  I  think,  though  I  have  spent  the  most  of 
them.  I  am  afraid  I  am  the  spendthrift  the  attorney  painted 
me,  though  I  do  not  remember  being  so  constantly  '  hard  up,' 
as  he  said  —  my  father  is  very  liberal  with  me." 

"  Yes,  I  'm  afraid  you  are  a  sad  spendthrift,"  said  Mr. 
Hamilton  genially.  "  But  let  me  see  some  of  those  gold  pieces, 
if  you  have  any  about  you." 

I  fished  in  my  pockets  and  found  three*,  two  tens  and  a  five. 
I  handed  them  over  to  Mr.  Hamilton,  and  he  looked  all  three 
over  carefully;  then  handed  them  to  me  to  hunt  for  the  mark; 
but  neither  of  us  could  discover  anything. 

"Let  me  take  these  three  pieces  until  after  the  trial,"  said 
Mr.  Hamilton ;  "  you  are  sure  you  have  no  more  of  them  ?  " 

I  went  through  my  pockets  again,  but  found  no  more. 

"  "Well,  these  are  enough,"  he  said  gleefully,  depositing  them 
in  a  side  pocket  from  which  he  carefully  removed  every  other 
coin.  "  The  last  link  is  forged,  the  chain  of  evidence  is  com 
plete.  I  must  be  going  —  it  is  almost  time  for  court  to  reopen. 
Keep  a  light  heart,  Sir  Lionel,  for  we  are  bound  to  win" 

As  he  was  going  out,  he  put  his  head  back  in  the  door  and 
said,  in  a  mock,  sepulchral  whisper: 

"  I  'd  like  to  make  you  another  wager,  Sir  Lionel,  that  we 
will  have  the  real  criminal  in  the  Bridewell  before  night." 


XXII 

MADEMOISELLE    KNOWS 

THERE  was  no  resisting  Mr.   Hamilton's  happy  hopeful 
ness;  I  could  not  be  despondent  after  he  left  me,  though 
I  could  not  feel  quite  so  sure  as  he  that  I  would  be  out  of  the 
Bridewell  before  night. 

One  other  call  I  had  during  the  recess  —  a  very  brief  one. 
It  was  from  Mayor  Livingston.  He  came  in  hurriedly  and, 
almost  shamefacedly,  he  took  my  hand  and  wrung  it. 

"  I  cannot  but  feel,  Sir  Lionel,  that  I  have  brought  you  into 
all  this  trouble,  and  I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  forgive  me  and 
to  tell  you  that  I  am  as  sure  of  your  innocence  as  of  my  own. 
Your  case  seemed  to  go  badly  this  morning  —  you  are  en 
tangled  in  a  most  unfortunate  web  of  circumstances  —  but  I 
have  great  faith  in  Hamilton's  ability  to  unravel  the  knot. 
He  is  a  great  man  and  a  great  lawyer.  But  I  want  you  to 
know  that,  whatever  the  verdict,  I  believe  in  you,  and  if  it 
should  go  against  you  I  will  move  heaven  and  earth  for  a 
pardon.  Governor  Clinton  is  a  life-long  friend  and  he  shall 
grant  it.  Can  you  forgive  me?" 

His  voice  broke  on  the  last  words  and  I  was  so  moved  at  the 
sight  of  his  distress  that  I  could  only  wring  his  hand,  for  a 
moment,  silently.  Then  I  recovered  my  self-control  and  as 
sured  him  I  held  him  in  no  jot  or  tittle  responsible.  Moreover, 
I  assured  him  I  expected  an  acquittal  confidently,  and  that  I 
did  not  feel  that  I  was  the  one  who  needed  sympathy,  but  he, 
who,  however  the  verdict  went,  was  bound  to  lose  place,  position 
and  fortune. 

"  But  neither  honor  nor  friends,  sir/'  I  added.  "  This  city 
will  always  honor  your  name  as  one  of  its  greatest,  best,  and 
most  dearly  loved  —  and  your  friends  are  legion." 

260 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  261 

My  little  speech  seemed  to  move  him  still  more  deeply.  He 
crushed  my  hand  in  response  and  went  out  silently,  and  I  felt, 
at  that  moment  —  as  Mr.  La  Force  had  said  he  had  felt  — 
that  I  would  leave  no  stone  unturned  to  discover  the  true  crim 
inal  and  compel  him  to  confession  and  restitution. 

The  court-room  was,  if  possible,  more  crowded  in  the  after 
noon,  and  there  was  an  eager  air  of  expectancy  among  the  spec 
tators,  since  everyone  knew  that  Mr.  Hamilton  was  to  be  de 
pended  on  for  a  brilliant  coup  of  one  kind  or  another,  and  that 
he  was  now  to  take  charge  of  the  trial.  I  glanced  quickly 
toward  that  part  of  the  room  where  my  friends  had  been  seated 
in  the  morning.  Yes,  they  were  all  there,  but  again  I  looked 
in  vain  for  Mademoiselle.  This  time  I  experienced  a  keen  pang 
of  disappointment.  Mr.  Hamilton  had  so  thoroughly  imbued 
me  with  his  confidence  in  my  acquittal  that  I  wanted  her  to 
be  present.  Was  she  indifferent?  Could  she  be  ill? 

My  questions  were  answered  before  I  had  hardly  finished 
asking  them.  Mr.  Hamilton  was  on  his  feet  making  his  brief 
opening  speech. 

"  I  have  subpoenaed  but  two  witnesses,"  he  said,  "  and  as 
it  is  an  almost  impossible  feat  in  law  to  prove  a  man  innocent, 
I  have  confined  my  efforts  to  a  rebuttal  of  the  evidence  that 
attempted  to  prove  my  client  guilty.  And  after  the  examina 
tion  of  my  two  witnesses  —  and  cross-examination  if  my  honor 
able  friend  so  desires,"  with  a  courtly  bow  to  the  prosecuting 
attorney,  "  I  hold  to  the  privilege  you  have  granted  me  of  cross- 
examining  the  witnesses  for  the  State." 

He  turned  to  the  sheriff  and  the  name  that  was  called  struck 
consternation  to  my  heart.  Almost  I  refused  to  believe  my 
senses,  as  I  heard  it,  and  as  I  saw  a  graceful  figure,  closely 
veiled  in  gray,  slowly  mount  to  the  witness  box.  My  heart 
pounded  so  furiously  and  the  blood  rushed  so  madly  to  my 
brain  and  back  again,  turning  me  deaf  and  blind  for  the  mo 
ment,  that  I  lost  some  of  the  preliminaries.  When  I  was  able 
to  look  and  listen  the  witness  had  been  duly  sworn  and  the 
gray  veil  was  lifted.  Mr.  Hamilton  was  asking  questions  in 
a  fashion  so  courteous  and  gentle  that  the  witness  was  evidently 


MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

rapidly  regaining  her  composure.  Her  answers,  which  at  first 
were  scarcely  audible,  now  came  in  a  voice,  still  low-pitched, 
but  perfectly  clear  and  calm. 

Mr.  Hamilton's  first  questions  had  been  as  to  her  name, 
nationality  and  residence.  I  had  not  been  able  to  hear  the 
answers  to  these,  but  presently  I  heard  a  question  to  which  I 
listened  intently. 

"  How  long  have  you  known  Sir  Lionel  ?  "  was  Mr.  Hamil 
ton's  question. 

I  wondered  that  she  hesitated  in  her  answer,  but  presently 
it  came,  low  and  clear : 

"I  met  him  on  board  the  Sea  Gull,  nearly  three  months 
ago." 

"  Did  you  observe  anything  in  his  manner  which  would  have 
led  you  to  believe  him  a  fugitive  from  justice  or  a  hardened 
reprobate  sent  from  home  to  reform  ?  " 

"Nothing,  sir." 

"  What  was  his  ordinary  manner  ?  " 

"  I  thought  him,  at  first,  a  little  sad,  but  that  I  supposed 
was  natural  on  leaving  home  and  friends.  Later  he  seemed 
to  recover  his  cheerfulness." 

"  Have  you  seen  much  of  him  since  your  arrival  in  America  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Where?" 

"I  saw  him  first  at  the  Grange,  then  at  Liberty  Hall,  and' 
later,  I  have  been  spending  two  or  three  weeks  at  Clermont, 
Miss  Livingston's  country-seat,  where  Sir  Lionel  also  was 
staying." 

"  At  any  time  have  you  observed  anything  in  his  manner 
that  would  indicate  he  was  suffering  from  remorse,  or  pricks 
of  conscience  ?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"I  understand  that  during  his  illness  you  assisted  in  the 
care  of  him  —  is  that  true  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  barely  articulated. 

I  was  indignant.  Why  was  it  necessary  to  subject  Made 
moiselle  Desloge  to  questions  that  could  not  but  be  most  trying. 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  263 

But  Mr.  Hamilton  went  on  calmly,  without  appearing  to  notice 
her  embarrassment. 

"  Was  he,  during  his  illness,  in  delirium  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  much  of  the  time." 

"  In  his  delirium  did  he  rave  much,  or  talk  frequently  ?  " 

"  Very  frequently." 

"Of  what  did  he  talk?" 

I  felt  the  blood  rush  to  my  face.  It  had  not  occurred  to 
me  before  that  I  had  talked  in  my  delirium,  and  I  wondered 
what  Mademoiselle  had  heard  me  say.  Had  I  talked  of  Peggy? 
Still  worse,  had  I  talked  of  her?  But  Mademoiselle  was  an 
swering  quite  calmly : 

"  He  talked  of  his  father  and  an  Aunt  Pamela,  of  Oxford, 
and  a  little  of  his  experiences  on  ship-board.  Also,  at  times, 
he  talked  of  <  the  Lads  of  Kilkenny.'  "' 

"  He  never  referred  to  any  events  that  may  have  occurred  in 
the  mayor's  office  ?  " 

"  Not  a  word,  sir." 

"  Did  he  ever  mention  money  in  his  ravings  ?  " 

"  I  never  heard  him." 

"  Did  he  ever  use  any  words  or  expressions  not  fit  for  a  lady's 
ears  ?  " 

"  Not  one,  sir !  "  indignantly. 

"  Do  you  know  Mr.  La  Force,  Mr.  Livingston's  private  secre 
tary?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

And  now  I  thought  the  witness  began  to  falter  a  little.  I 
was  watching  her  keenly  —  though  she  never  once  turned  her 
eyes  my  way  —  and  I  saw  her  color  begin  to  come  and  go.  It 
pained  me  to  see  it,  for  I  thought  it  sure  evidence  that  she 
cared  for  La  Force.  She  could  talk  calmly  enough  of  me. 

"  How  long  have  you  known  him  ?  " 

Here  she  hesitated  again,  and  when  her  answer  came,  it 
astounded  me: 

"  I  met  him  first  about  three  years  ago." 

I  had  supposed  that  Miss  Desloge  had  met  him  for  the  first 
time  at  the  dinner  at  the  Grange,  where  I  had  first  met  him. 


264  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Could  it  be  possible  he  was  an  old  friend,  perhaps  —  an  old 
lover?  Could  it  even  be  possible  that  Mademoiselle  had  taken 
a  position  in  America  for  his  sake?  It  was  all  painfully  be 
wildering  to  me,  but  I  listened  the  more  keenly  for  the  next 
question  and  answer. 

"  Did  the  acquaintance  amount  to  —  friendship  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  might  have  been  so  called,  at  first." 

"Was  this  —  friendship  —  broken  off  before  he  came  to 
America  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Has  Mr.  La  Force  tried  to  renew  it  since  your  arrival 
here?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Has  he  been  at  all  confidential  with  you,  since  you  have 
met  him  again  ?  " 

"  Somewhat  so,  sir." 

Every  answer  evidently  cost  her  a  tremendous  effort.  At 
times,  she  turned  so  pale  I  thought  she  would  faint;  at  others, 
her  cheeks  were  deep-dyed  with  the  hue  of  shame.  My  heart 
ached  for  her.  I  longed  to  put  a  stop  to  this  torture  to  which 
Mr.  Hamilton  was  subjecting  her,  and  for  what  purpose  I 
could  not  see.  Yet  I  could  see  he  was  endeavoring  to  fashion 
his  questions  so  as  to  give  her  as  little  embarrassment  as  pos 
sible.  But,  carefully  as  he  fashioned  them,  it  was  perfectly 
evident  to  me,  and  I  supposed  to  the  jury,  that  Mr.  La 
Force  had  been  at  one  time,  in  France,  in  love  with  Made 
moiselle  Desloge,  if  not  betrothed  to  her;  that  something  had 
occurred  to  break  off  the  affair;  that  he  had  renewed  his  suit 
in  America  —  how  distasteful  it  must  be  to  Mademoiselle  to 
be  obliged  to  reveal  all  this !  I  was  ready  for  her  sake  to  rise 
up  in  my  prisoner's  box  and  beg  Mr.  Hamilton  to  let  me  go 
back  to  the  Bridewell,  rather  than  so  put  her  to  shame  before 
this  crowded  house.  And  how  had  Mr.  Hamilton  got  hold  of 
these  facts?  What  a  mean,  spying,  tyrannical  thing  the  law 
WEB  !  First  it  ferrets  out  all  the  innermost  secrets  of  one's 
private  life  and  then  compels  the  poor  victim  to  confess  to 
them  before  a  curious,  scandal-scenting  vampire  of  a  public. 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  265 

I  knew  there  was  no  escape  from  a  subpoena  —  poor  Made 
moiselle!  How  did  she  get  into  the  toils  of  this  ill-fated  case! 

Mr.  Hamilton  was  going  on  relentlessly : 

"  Did  he  ever  say  to  you  that  he  had  lately  come  into  posses 
sion  of  a  large  sum  of  money  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Did  he  say  by  what  means  ?  " 

"  He  gave  me  to  understand  that  it  was  an  inheritance  from 
an  uncle  in  France." 

"  Did  he  give  you  his  uncle's  name  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir/' 

"  Were  you  acquainted  with  the  uncle  in  France  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Had  you  seen  him  within  a  short  time  of  your  leaving 
France  ?  "' 

"  Yes,  sir,  within  a  week." 

"  Was  he  in  health  at  that  time  ?  " 

"  He  seemed  to  be  in  perfect  health." 

"  Had  other  ships  arrived  in  New  York  since  you  landed, 
by  which  Mr.  La  Force  could  have  received  the  tidings  of  his 
uncle's  death  and  his  inheritance,  before  he  informed  you  of 
it?" 

"  I  think  two  had  arrived." 

"  Had  this  uncle  any  children  ?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  When  did  Mr.  La  Force  inform  you  of  the  death  of  his 
uncle  and  his  inheritance?" 

"  About  five  weeks  ago." 

"  Was  that  during  Sir  Lionel's  illness  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Did  you  believe  him  when  he  told  you  of  it  ?  " 

"  I  did,  at  first." 

"  Did  you  come  to  have  any  doubts  of  it  later  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"Why?" 

"  I  first  began  to  doubt,  because  it  seemed  strange  to  me 
that  his  uncle  should  have  left  him  so  large  an  amount,  since 


266  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

he  had  another  favorite  nephew  who  was  always  regarded  as 
his  heir.  Later  I  received  a  letter  from  a  friend  in  Paris,  who 
would  have  been  almost  certain  to  have  spoken  of  the  death, 
and  there  was  no  mention  of  it." 

"  You  say  '  so  large  an  amount.'  Did  Mr.  La  Force  ever  tell 
you  the  amount  of  this  inheritance  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly,  but  he  spoke  of  it  as  many  thousands  of 
pounds.  He  said  he  was  now  a  rich  man." 

"  Did  he  say  what  he  intended  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  He  intended  to  buy  a  large  estate  in  the  interior  —  near 
Otsego  Lake,  I  think  he  said." 

"  He  intended  to  leave  New  York  City,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  How  soon  did  he  expect  to  leave  ?  " 

"  He  was  anxious  to  leave  immediately." 

"  You  are  sure  of  that  ?  " 

"  Very  sure !  "  emphatically. 

Mr.  Hamilton  glanced  pleasantly  at  the  jury,  as  much  as  to 
say  —  Take  note  of  that,  Gentlemen  !  —  and  then  went  on. 

"  Have  you  seen  Mr.  La  Force  since  coming  to  New  York 
for  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  City  Hall  ?  " 

"Yes,  twice." 

"  I  understood  you  to  say  that  five  weeks  ago,  when  he  first 
spoke  to  you  of  this  inheritance,  he  was  then  expecting  to 
leave  the  city  immediately.  Is  that  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Do  you  know  why  he  did  not  leave  immediately  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  do,  sir."  She  colored  painfully  and  could  not 
lift  her  eyes.  I  looked  away,  for  I  could  not  bear  to  see  her 
suffering,  and  my  glance  fell  on  the  hushed  throng,  every  mem 
ber  of  it  breathless  and  every  eye  fixed  on  the  witness.  No, 
not  all !  Miss  Livingston's  eyes  were  down  and  her  face  was 
almost  as  scarlet  as  Mademoiselle's  own  and  so  was  Mrs.  Mont 
gomery's  and  Mrs.  Hamilton's.  Not  far  from  them  sat  Mayor 
Livingston,  his  head  bowed,  one  hand  shading  his  eyes,  the 
picture  of  distress.  I  knew  it  had  come  to  him,  as  it  must 
have  come  to  everyone  in  that  audience,  that  Mr.  Hamilton 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  267 

was  slowly  proving,  not  my  innocence  but  Mr.  La  Force's  guilt. 
He  had  been  a  trusted  and  confidential  servant  and  Mr.  Liv 
ingston  could  not  but  suffer  in  the  revelation. 

Mr.  Hamilton  seemed  to  know  that  he  was  treading  on  deli 
cate  ground,  and  forbore  to  press  further  the  question  of  La 
Force's  not  leaving  the  city  when  he  first  intended. 

"  Has  he  spoken  to  you  of  his  immediate  departure  since 
your  return  to  New  York  ?  "  was  his  next  question. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Do  you  know  when  he  intends  to  leave  ?  " 

"  As  soon  as  this  trial  is  over." 

"  Has  he  ever  spoken  to  you  of  Sir  Lionel  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Did  he  seem  friendly  or  otherwise  ?  " 

"  He  seemed  to  me,  covertly,  an  enemy." 

"Did  he  tell  you  of  his  suspicions  concerning  Sir  Lionel 
before  you  left  New  York  for  Clermont  ?  " 

"  He  told  me  that  there  was  serious  trouble  at  the  office 
and  that  he  feared  it  was  the  result  of  Sir  Lionel's  two  days' 
stay  there." 

"  Did  he  not  tell  you  anything  more  definite  ?  " 

"  I  asked  him  the  nature  of  the  trouble  and  he  said  it  would 
all  be  out  soon  and  I  would  know  about  it." 

"  Was  this  before  he  had  told  Mayor  Livingston  of  the  rob 
bery?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Did  he  say  anything  else  to  prejudice  you  against  Sir 
Lionel  ?  " 

"  He  insinuated  many  things :  that  he  was  hearing  constant 
reports  of  his  profligacy  both  at  home  and  since  his  arrival  in 
America." 

"  Did  his  insinuations  and  suspicions  affect  your  opinion  of 
Sir  Lionel  ?  " 

"  No,  sir !  "  My  heart  gave  a  leap,  for  there  was  a  ring  of 
pride  in  her  voice  that  I  had  not  heard  before. 

"  Did  you  understand  the  purpose  of  his  insinuations  ?  " 

"  I  thought  I  did,"  very  faintly. 


268  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"Did  you  hear  of  this  robbery  from  any  other  source  before 
coming  back  to  New  York  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  Mayor  Livingston  told  me  of  it." 

"  Did  he  tell  anyone  else  ?  " 

"I  don't  know.  I  think  not,  sir."  Again  a  heightened 
color  and  again  my  heart  throbbed  painfully.  It  was  true, 
then,  that  the  mayor  was  infatuated  with  Mademoiselle;  and 
it  seemed  to  me  that  here  was  a  man,  whose  attractions  it 
would  be  hard  for  any  woman  to  resist. 

"  Did  Mayor  Livingston  have  any  purpose  in  telling  you  of 
the  robbery  ?  " 

"  He  wished  me  to  assist  him  in  persuading  Sir  Lionel  not 
to  come  to  New  York  with  us  to  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone," 
she  answered,  and  my  spirits  rose  at  once. 

"  Why  did  he  not  wish  Sir  Lionel  to  come  ?  " 

"  He  believed  that  he  was  innocent  of  this  crime,  but  from 
what  Mr.  La  Force  had  told  him  he  feared  that  lie  would  be 
arrested  and  have  to  submit  to  the  indignity  of  a  trial." 

"  Why  did  he  not  tell  Sir  Lionel  his  reasons  for  wishing  him 
to  stay  away  from  New  York  ?  " 

"  He  was  under  promise  to  Mr.  La  Force  to  say  nothing  to 
him  about  it.  Also,  I  think,  though  he  believed  him  innocent, 
he  was  not  quite  sure  of  it;  and  he  was  not  sure  but  that  he 
was  the  profligate  and  scapegrace  Mr.  La  Force  had  told  him 
he  was." 

"  Then  you,  also,  were  under  bond  to  say  nothing  to  Sir 
Lionel  of  the  robbery  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

The  witness  was  evidently  growing  very  weary.     Her  pallor 
was  steadily  increasing.     I  began  to  fear  she  would  not  hold 
out;  and  though  every  word  had  been  intensely  interesting  — 
thrilling  —  to  me,  I  began  to  long  for  the  end.     Mr.  Hamilton 
evidently  noted  her  weariness,  also. 

"  Your  Honor,"  he  said,  "  I  believe  this  witness  has  told  us 
more  than  enough  to  prove  the  point  I  wish  to  make  later. 
Unless  my  distinguished  opponent  desires  to  cross-examine,  I 
will  excuse  her." 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  269 

Now  I  had  heard  much  of  the  district-attorney's  methods 
in  cross-examination  —  that  they  were  in  direct  contrast  to 
Mr.  Hamilton's.  That,  in  fact,  he  bullied  and  terrified  the 
witness,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  probe  his  most  secret  and  inti 
mate  affairs,  often  when  they  did  not  bear,  even  remotely,  on 
the  testimony.  In  a  flash  I  pictured  him  compelling  Miss 
Desloge  to  reveal  all  the  details  of  her  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
La  Force;  perhaps  even  the  details  of  her  acquaintance  with 
me.  My  heart  stood  still  as  the  district-attorney  rose  to  his  feet. 

"Your  Honor,"  he  said  slowly  —  he  was  evidently  bewil 
dered  by  this  new  testimony  — "  I  pray  you  to  grant  me  the 
same  privilege  you  have  granted  my  distinguished  opponent. 
Perhaps,  after  I  have  heard  the  testimony  of  his  other  witnesses 
and  his  cross-examination  of  mine,  I  may  then  wish  to  cross- 
examine;  for  the  present  I  waive  my  privilege." 

I  breathed  freely  again.  Miss  Desloge  was  leaving  the  wit 
ness-box,  but  just  before  she  dropped  the  gray  veil,  her  eyes 
met  mine,  and  it  seemed  to  me  they  said  —  It  was  for  your 
sake  I  endured  this  ordeal.  I  know  not  whether  my  eyes  ex 
pressed  the  gratitude  I  felt,  or  whether  she  had  time  to  read 
them  if  they  did,  for  her  veil  was  dropped  instantly  and  she 
moved  swiftly  from  the  room,  accompanied  to  the  door  by  Mr. 
Hamilton,  and  there,  apparently,  put  into  the  hands  of  some 
friend  whom  I  could  not  see. 

Mr.  Hamilton's  second  witness  was  a  slight  young  fellow  in 
the  uniform  of  a  naval  cadet.  I  had  never  seen  him  before, 
but  I  was  destined  to  know  him  well  and  experience  with  him 
some  thrilling  adventures  in  the  next  few  weeks,  and  to  hear 
of  him  often  in  the  future  with  a  feeling  of  pride,  at  the  men 
tion  of  his  name,  that  I  had  once  known  so  intimately  the 
distinguished  man  of  letters. 

He  gave  his  name  as  Fenimore  Cooper,  and  his  residence  as 
Cooperstown  on  Otsego  Lake,  and  stated  that  he  had  just  re 
turned  from  a  visit  to  his  home  on  leave  of  absence.  Then, 
question  by  question,  Mr.  Hamilton  drew  from  him  that  on 
his  outward  trip,  a  day's  journey  from  New  York,  he  fell  in 
with  a  friendly  party  of  Hurons  on  their  way  to  Otsego  Lake, 


270  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

and  traveled  with  them;  that,  as  he  was  entering  their  camp, 
he  met  a  white  man  just  leaving  it  by  the  road  leading  to  New 
York,  by  which  he  himself  had  come  —  this  impressed  him 
as  unusual,  and  he  would  have  stopped  to  exchange  greetings, 
as  was  the  custom  with  travelers  in  the  wilderness,  but  the 
man  seemed  in  great  haste  and  galloped  swiftly  by  him,  merely 
lifting  his  hat,  as  he  passed;  that  the  Hurons  traveled  slowly, 
since  they  were  afoot,  but  that  he  remained  with  them  as  long 
as  they  were  passing  through  the  Shawangunk  Mountains  and 
the  forests  lying  between  them  and  the  Susquehanna,  since 
these  districts  were  still  infested  by  wandering  bodies  of  In 
dians  from  unfriendly  tribes;  that,  in  the  two  or  three  days  he 
had  remained  with  them,  he  had  learned  that  a  wagon  drawn 
by  two  strong  horses  which  had  aroused  his  curiosity,  since 
Hurons  were  not  likely  to  own  such  valuable  property,  had  been 
left  by  the  white  man  he  had  met  leaving  the  camp;  that  the 
wagon  seemed  to  be  filled  with  the  light  impedimenta  of  the 
Indians,  but  that  once,  in  crossing  a  swollen  stream,  it  tipped 
and  its  contents  were  doused  in  the  water;  that  among  the 
contents  was  a  small  box  or  chest  which  the  chief  ordered 
the  young  men  to  rescue  first;  that  it  seemed  heavy  and  he 
went  to  their  assistance  and  discovered  that  it  was  very  heavy 
indeed;  that  one  of  the  braves  told  him  it  had  been  brought 
by  the  white  man  in  the  wagon  with  instructions  to  the  Hurons 
to  take  it  with  them  to  their  camp  on  Lake  Otsego  and  keep  it 
there  until  he  should  call  for  it,  which  would  probably  be  in 
two  or  three  weeks;  and  that  he  had  also  said  the  chest  con 
tained  valuable  papers;  that  when  the  witness  heard  this  he 
suggested  to  the  chief  that  he  should  open  the  chest  and  take 
out  the  papers  and  dry  them,  as,  otherwise,  they  would  prob 
ably  mildew  and  be  destroyed;  but  that  the  chief  refused,  say 
ing  his  instructions  were  on  no  account  to  open  the  box;  and, 
finally,  that  he  remembered  the  day  of  the  month  very  well,  as 
it  was  the  day  on  which  his  leave  began,  the  evening  of  the 
25th  of  August. 

Mr.  Cooper  went  on  to  say  that  he  had  almost  forgotten  the 
incident  until,  on  his  arrival  in  the  city,  the  day  before,  he  had 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  271 

heard  of  the  robbery  and  the  trial,  and  that  after  pondering 
the  matter  he  had  sent  word  to  Mr.  Hamilton  that  he  thought 
he  might  have  some  information  that  bore  on  the  case;  that 
Mr.  Hamilton  had  sent  for  him  during  the  noon  recess,  and, 
after  hearing  his  story,  had  at  once  subpoenaed  him. 

The  cross-examination  was  very  brief  and  every  word  of  it 
told  against  the  cross-examiner's  case.  Mr.  Hamilton,  in  the 
direct  examination,  had  asked: 

"Would  you  know  this  white  man  if  you  should  meet  him 
again  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Does  the  prisoner  look  like  him  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all." 

It  was  this  point  the  prosecuting  attorney  tried  to  weaken. 

"  If  you  passed  this  man  at  a  rapid  gallop,  how  could  you 
expect  to  know  him  after  an  interval  of  six  weeks  ?  "  he  asked 
with  a  sarcastic  smile. 

"  Because,  sir,"  answered  Cooper  slowly,  "  there  were  two 
striking  peculiarities  in  his  appearance.  One  was  that  he  had 
very  unusual  eyes,  heavily  and  blackly  lashed  on  the  lower  rims 
and  disclosing  a  line  of  white  above  the  black  lashes.  The 
other  was  that  he  did  not  wear  his  hair  tied,  but  short  and 
curling  in  his  neck  after  the  fashion  the  French  have  intro 
duced  to  the  country.  I  took  him  for  a  Frenchman." 

Every  word  of  the  young  fellow's  testimony,  given  with  re 
markable  clearness  and  alertness,  had  been  listened  to  breath 
lessly,  but  there  was  a  tremendous  sensation  after  his  last  utter 
ance.  The  prosecuting  attorney  dropped  him  as  if  he  had  been 
a  live  coal  and  Mr.  Hamilton  turned  smilingly  to  the  Court. 

"  Will  Your  Honor  allow  this  witness  to  remain  in  the 
court-room  while  I  ask  for  the  return  of  the  State's  witnesses  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Hamilton. 

The  request  was  granted  and  young  Mr.  Cooper  was  given 
a  seat  where  he  could  see  the  witness-box  distinctly  without 
himself  being  in  the  direct  line  of  vision  of  the  witness.  Mr. 
Hamilton  called  first  for  Pompey  and  his  cross-examination 
was  very  brief. 


272  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Have  you  the  gold  piece  with  you  that  Sir  Lionel  gave  you, 
Pompey  ?  "  he  asked  pleasantly. 

"Yes,  Marse  Hamilton,"  answered  Pompey,  grinning  in  re 
sponse  to  Mr.  Hamilton's  smile. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  you  have  n't  spent  any  of  it  for 
lollipops  or  croquecignolles,"  demanded  Mr.  Hamilton  aston 
ished,  or  appearing  to  be. 

"  No,  sah,"  returned  Pompey  emphatically.  "  I  gwine  keep 
dat  fibe  dollars  for  lucky-piece.  I  doan  neber  spect  to  git  an- 
odder." 

"  Will  you  let  me  look  at  it,  Pompey  ?  "  still  with  his  pleasant 
smile. 

"  Yes,  sah,"  drawing  it  slowly  and  reluctantly  from  the 
depths  of  his  breeches  pocket,  and  handing  it  to  Mr.  Hamilton. 

"  Now,  will  you  show  me  the  mark  Mr.  La  Force  put  on  it  ?  " 

"I  neber  seed  no  mark.  I  done  look  fer  ut,  but  I  cyahnt 
fine  ut." 

"  Will  you  let  me  keep  this,  Pompey,  for  a  while  ?  " 

"Yes,  sah,  I  specs  I  hab  to,"  said  Pompey  mournfully. 
"  But  you  '11  shore  gib  ut  back  to  me,  Marse  Hamilton  ?  " 

"  Oh,  surely,  Pompey,  you  will  have  it  back  and  perhaps 
something  with  it." 

Pompey  brightened  at  Mr.  Hamilton's  promise,  and  left  the 
witness-box,  since  this  was  the  end  of  his  examination,  only 
looking  back  longingly  once  at  the  pocket  where  he  had  seen 
his  beloved  gold  piece  disappear. 

"  Before  calling  Mr.  La  Force  for  his  cross-examination,  I 
should  like  to  give  some  instructions  to  the  witness,  Mr.  Cooper, 
and  to  the  jury,"  said  Mr.  Hamilton,  and  his  tones  were  greatly 
changed.  They  were  no  longer  the  gentle,  winning  ones  he  had 
used  to  Pompey  and  the  other  witnesses;  they  were  alert  and 
crisp,  as  if  he  were  eager  for  the  fray  he  saw  before  him. 

"  I  will  ask  Mr.  Cooper,"  he  continued,  "  to  observe  the  wit 
ness  closely  as  he  enters,  and  if  he  does  not  recognize  him  as 
the  man  he  met  leaving  the  camp  of  the  Hurons,  to  sit  per 
fectly  quiet.  If  he  does  recognize  him,  will  he  nod  his  head 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  273 

twice,  and  raise  his  right  hand  to  the  level  of  his  shoulder;  no 
higher,  please,  lest  it  attract  the  notice  of  the  witness.  I  will 
ask  the  jury  to  keep  their  eyes  fastened  upon  Mr.  Cooper,  as 
Mr.  La  Force  enters,  so  that  they  may  know  whether  or  not 
Mr.  Cooper  recognizes  him." 

Xot  only  the  eyes  of  the  jury,  but  of  every  person  in  the 
house,  not  excepting  the  judge,  the  prosecuting  attorney,  and 
the  prisoner,  were  fixed  upon  Mr.  Cooper  as  Mr.  La  Force 
entered  the  room  and  walked  over  to  the  witness-box.  I  be 
lieve  Mr.  Hamilton,  alone,  kept  his  eyes  on  the  witness.  He 
was  sure  of  the  result  and  he  knew  Mr.  La  Force's  glance  would 
naturally  seek  his  and  he  did  not  want  to  divert  it  toward 
Mr.  Cooper.  Everyone  else  in  the  house  saw  the  involuntary 
start  young  Cooper  could  not  quite  control  as  his  eyes  fell 
on  La  Force;  saw  the  emphatic  nod,  repeated;  and  the  swift 
raising  of  the  right  hand  to  the  level  of  the  shoulder.  Then 
my  own  glance  traveled  quickly  from  young  Cooper  to  the  jury. 
They  were  smiling  and  nodding  at  one  another  —  the  test 
seemed  to  have  satisfied  them. 

"  Mr.  La  Force,"  said  Mr.  Hamilton  pleasantly,  "  you  said, 
in  your  direct  examination,  that  you  were  called  imperatively 
out  of  the  city  for  two  days,  and  therefore  asked  Sir  Lionel 
to  take  your  place  in  the  mayor's  office  —  was  that  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"Will  you  tell  the  jury,  if  you  please,  the  nature  of  that 
imperative  call  ?  " 

Mr.  La  Force  hesitated,  but  only  for  a  moment. 

"  It  was  the  dangerous  illness  of  a  very  near  friend." 

"You  had  heard  of  the  illness  before  you  attended  the  din 
ner  party  at  the  Grange?" 

"  Yes,  sir."  . 

"  Ah,  it  was  not  so  dear  a  friend,  then,  that  anxiety  on  his 
account,  or  hers,  prevented  you  from  engaging  in  social  pleas 
ures.  Will  you  give  the  jury  the  name  of  your  friend  ?  " 

Mr.  La  Force's  pallid  face  was  taking  on  a  tinge  of  color. 

"  Mr.  Leon  Galliard,"  he  said  stiffly. 
18 


274  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"And  his  residence,  if  you  please,  or  the  place  where  you 
visited  him,  the  name  of  the  town  or  village,"  Mr.  Hamilton 
was  still  speaking  pleasantly. 

"  He  did  not  live  in  a  town.  He  lived  in  the  country," 
answered  Mr.  La  Force  glibly. 

"Ah,  I  take  it  his  illness  was  fatal,  since  you  speak  of  him 
in  the  past  tense.  Am  I  right  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  You  did  not  wear  mourning  for  your  friend  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  he  was  not  a  relation." 

"  Will  you  tell  the  jury  in  what  State  he  lived  since  he  did 
not  live  in  a  village." 

"  On  Long  Island." 

"  Ah  !  "  Mr.  Hamilton  flashed  a  keen  glance  at  the  jury,  as 
much  as  to  say  —  Take  note  of  that !  Mr.  La  Force  saw  the 
glance  and  began  to  be  somewhat  discomposed,  as  the  manner 
of  his  answers  betrayed.  Mr.  Hamilton  went  on  quietly. 

"  You  were  obliged  to  cross  the  East  River  to  get  to  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  How  long  did  it  take  you  to  go  to  him  ?  " 

"  About  a  day,  sir." 

"  Ah,  then  you  were  quite  up  toward  the  other  end  of  Long 
Island,  for  I  suppose  you  were  on  horseback  and  rode  rapidly." 

"Yes,  sir,  quite  a  long  distance  up." 

"  And  you  must  have  passed  through  a  number  of  towns  and 
villages.  Can  you  give  me  their  names  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  very  good  at  topography,  sir,  and  the  villages 
were  not  familiar  to  me.  I  believe  I  remember  Brooklyn  and 
Greenwich  and  Stamford." 

"  Ah !  How  could  you  know,  since  your  errand  was  to  the 
sick-bed  of  a  friend,  that  it  would  take  you  exactly  two  days? 
Might  not  his  illness  have  detained  you  longer  ?  " 

"  I  knew  that  I  did  not  dare  to  take  more  than  two  days 
away  from  the  office,  since  Mr.  Livingston  was  ill,  one  clerk 
was  ill  and  another  away." 

"  But  you  dared  to  take  those  two  days  ?  " 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  275 

"Yes,  sir,  since  I  had  someone,  whom  I  believed  responsible, 
to  take  my  place." 

"  Do  you  think  that  the  mere  desire  to  see  a  sick,  even,  per 
haps,  a  dying  friend,  was  sufficient  excuse  to  warrant  your  leav 
ing  an  office,  where  large  amounts  of  the  city's  money  were  kept, 
in  the  hands  of  anyone  else,  particularly  a  stranger  ? "  Mr. 
Hamilton's  tones  were  not  so  pleasant.  There  was  a  ring  of 
sternness  in  them. 

"  I  think  now  I  was  wrong  to  leave  it.  I  thought  then  that 
everything  was  perfectly  safe  and  it  was  not  only  my  desire  to 
see  my  friend,  but  I  had  some  imperative  business  with  him 
that  must  be  transacted  before  his  death,"  said  Mr.  La  Force, 
sullenly. 

"  Involving  money  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"A  large  amount?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  I  have  heard  that  you  have  recently  come  into  the  inherit 
ance  of  a  large  amount  of  money.  Was  it  from  this  friend  ?  " 

Mr.  La  Force's  eyes  suddenly  widened,  so  that  the  white  line 
showed  all  around  them.  In  an  instant  the  startled  look  passed 
and  he  flashed  a  quick,  keen  glance  around  the  room  —  I  be 
lieve  to  be  sure  Mademoiselle  was  not  present  —  before  he 
answered,  "  Yes,  sir." 

"  Ah,  you  are  to  be  congratulated.  It  is  not  often  that  a 
friend  who  is  not  a  relative  and  for  whom  one  does  not  wear 
mourning,  is  so  kind.  No  doubt,  then,  you  will  feel  like  as 
sisting  Mr.  Livingston  in  replacing  the  city's  money  since  it  is 
somewhat  due  to  your  dereliction  in  duty  that  it  was  lost  ?  " 

Mr.  La  Force  had  turned  a  dark  mahogany  under  the  lash 
of  Mr.  Hamilton's  tongue;  but  at  his  last  question,  he  an 
swered  briskly: 

"  Certainly,  sir.  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  what  I  can  if  the 
thief  is  not  caught,  but  I  believe  we  have  caught  him  and  that 
he  should  make  restitution,  sir." 

I  could  not  help  admiring  the  rogue's  cleverness,  and  so,  I 


276 

believe,  did  Mr.  Hamilton.     But  he  went  on  with  his  cross- 
questioning  : 

"  Ah,  that  reminds  me.  You  said  your  suspicions  were 
aroused  by  discovering  a  marked  gold  piece  in  Pompey's  pos 
session,  given  him  by  Sir  Lionel.  Will  you  describe  the  mark 
to  me  ?  " 

At  last  La  Force  saw  that  he  was  getting  into  the  toils  he  had 
so  clumsily  laid  for  me.  He  began  to  grow  restive. 

"  I  can  scarcely  describe  it,  sir.  It  was  infinitesimal,  a 
mere  scratch." 

"  But  you  recognized  it  when  you  saw  it  ?  " 
.  "  Certainly,  sir." 

"  And  you  marked  every  piece  with  exactly  the  same  mark 
as  you  put  it  in  the  drawer,  you  say  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir."     He  spoke  grimly,  as  if  under  compulsion. 

Mr.  Hamilton  drew  a  gold  piece  from  his  pocket. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,"  he  said.  "  I  had  all  the  gold 
pieces,  of  American  coinage,  removed  from  the  prisoner's  pock 
ets.  This  is  one  of  them  I  hold  in  my  hand,  and  I  will  ask 
Mr.  La  Force  to  show  me  the  mark  on  it." 

He  handed  the  piece  to  Mr.  La  Force  who,  I  thought,  visibly 
blanched  as  he  took  it.  He  looked  at  it  hard  for  a  moment, 
then  pointed  out  a  mark  to  Mr.  Hamilton. 

"  Ah,  I  see,  a  slight  scratch  or  abrasion  above  the  peak  of  the 
A  in  '  America/  Then  the  others  have  the  same,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

He  drew  the  other  two  gold  pieces  I  had  given  him  from  his 
pocket,  and  scrutinized  them  carefully. 

"  I  cannot  find  the  mark  on  either  of  these,  Mr.  La  Force," 
he  said,  still  pleasantly,  "  but  your  eyes  are  younger  than  mine, 
perhaps  you  can  discover  it,"  and  he  handed  the  two  pieces  to 
him. 

Mr.  La  Force's  face  had  turned  a  dark  and  swarthy  hue  with 
the  blood  pumping  in  great  jets  from  his  heart  to  his  temples. 
I,  whose  station  was  near  his,  watching  him  keenly,  could  see 
fine  beads  of  perspiration  starting  out  on  his  forehead.  I  be 
lieve  he  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  his  hand  from  trembling 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  277 

as  he  held  it  out  for  the  gold  pieces,  and  I  do  not  believe  he 
could  see  them  at  all  for  the  rush  of  blood  that  blinded  his 
eyes.  But  he  pretended  to  look  at  them  for  a  moment  and  then 
handed  them  back  to  Mr.  Hamilton. 

"  I  suppose  I  must  have  neglected  to  mark  an  occasional 
piece,"  he  said  coolly. 

"  Ah,  but  fortunately  you  marked  the  one  Sir  Lionel  gave 
to  Pompey,  with  the  scratch  above  the  A  ?  " 

"  Fortunately,  sir,"  with  a  slight  sneer. 

"  And  fortunately,  then,  I  happen  to  have  that  very  piece 
in  my  pocket  and  you  can  point  out  the  mark  to  me,"  and  he 
drew  from  another  pocket  Pompey's  beloved  coin. 

Mr.  La  Force  started  involuntarily  —  no  doubt  he  had  been 
quite  sure  that  Pompey's  gold  piece  was  long  since  spent  — 
and  his  face  was  no  longer  swarthy  but  ashen  as  he  extended  a 
shaking  hand  for  it.  He  hardly  made  a  pretense  of  looking  at 
it  and  handed  it  quickly  back. 

"  I  can  just  barely  decipher  it.  I  suppose  Pompey  has  worn 
it  smooth  carrying  it  in  his  pocket,"  he  said  with  a  tremendous 
effort  at  composure  which  I  could  not  but  admire. 

"  Ah,  of  course !  That  had  not  occurred  to  me,"  said  Mr. 
Hamilton,  blandly,  and  the  jury  smiled. 

"  Oh,  by  the  way,  Mr.  La  Force,"  he  spoke  as  if  he  had  just 
thought  of  it,  "  I  believe  I  did  not  ask  you  whether  you  could 
recall  the  day  of  the  month  on  which  you  made  your  visit  to  your 
friend  on  Long  Island?" 

"The  25th  of  August,  I  believe,"  said  Mr.  La  Force,  still 
with  forced  composure. 

"  Ah,  thank  you.  Your  memory  is  excellent,"  returned  Mr. 
Hamilton  suavely,  and  then  turning  to  the  judge  he  dropped 
his  urbanity  and  was  entirely  businesslike : 

"  Your  Honor,  I  believe  I  have  drawn  all  out  of  this  witness 
I  expected  to,  but  as  I  may  think  of  something  to  ask  him  later, 
I  would  like  to  have  him  retained  in  the  court-room  during 
my  summing  up." 

For  one  moment  Mr.  La  Force  flashed  the  glance  of  a  hunted 
beast  around  the  court-room  —  there  were  hundreds  of  eager 


278  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

eyes  fastened  on  him,  but  in  not  one  pair  did  he  read  sympathy 
or  help;  in  every  face  he  read  that  he  was  already  tried  and 
condemned.  With  a  tremendous  effort  he  pulled  himself  to 
gether  and  leading  the  way,  an  officer  following  him,  he  took 
his  stand  by  an  open  window  overlooking  the  balcony  —  there 
was  no  vacant  seat  in  the  room  —  and  the  officer  took  his  stand 
beside  him. 

During  the  first  part  of  the  speech  that  followed,  he  let  his 
eyes  rove  over  the  court-room  with  a  brazen  assumption  of  in 
difference,  as  if  he  had  no  interest  in  what  Mr.  Hamilton  was 
saying,  but  I  think  even  while  his  eyes  were  so  carelessly  flit 
ting  over  the  assembly,  he  was  thinking  hard  and  fast.  During 
the  latter  part  of  Mr.  Hamilton's  speech,  when  there  could  be 
no  doubt  in  anyone's  mind  of  what  he  was  coming  to,  La  Force's 
eyes  were  on  the  floor,  only  occasionally  lifted  in  a  quick  and 
furtive  glance;  his  hands  were  tightly  clenched;  his  whole  fig 
ure  was  tense  as  if  bracing  himself  to  endure,  or  drawing  him 
self  up,  like  a  panther,  for  a  sudden  spring. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,"  began  Mr.  Hamilton  in  his  most 
winning  tones,  and  they  could  be  very  winning  indeed,  "  it  is  for 
you  to  consider  some  of  the  facts  in  this  case,  as  they  have  ap 
peared  to  me  from  the  statements  of  the  witnesses  on  both  sides. 
I  have  too  great  confidence  in  your  intellectual  ability  and  your 
sterling  integrity  to  attempt  to  influence  your  judgment.  I 
purpose  simply  to  review,  for  the  sake  of  refreshing  your  memo 
ries,  the  story  of  this  case  as  I  have  gleaned  it.  If  any  point 
I  make  is  wrong,  if  I  seem  to  be  mistaken  in  any  of  my  state 
ments,  I  beg  the  distinguished  counsel  on  the  other  side  to  in 
terrupt  me  and  set  me  right.  A  few  of  these  statements  you 
will  know  were  not  brought  out  by  the  witnesses,  but  they  were 
either  told  to  me  by  the  prisoner  or  I  drew  them  by  inference 
from  Mademoiselle  Desloge.  I  could  put  both  of  these  young 
people  on  the  stand  to  swear  to  these  statements,  but  in  the  case 
of  the  prisoner  it  would  be  an  unusual  action  and  hardly  seems 
necessary,  and  in  the  case  of  the  young  lady  I  have  greatly  de 
sired  to  spare  her  any  further  embarrassment  and  mortifica 
tion.  She  came  to  me  and  offered  herself  as  a  witness  simply 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  279 

because  she  was  unwilling  to  see  the  innocent  suffer  —  and  in 
her  own  mind  she  was  absolutely  convinced  of  Sir  Lionel's  in 
nocence —  but  she  begged  me  to  spare  her  as  far  as  possible." 

Then  in  clear,  brief  sentences  he  told  the  story  of  a  young 
man  in  Paris,  of  dissolute  habits,  who,  meeting  at  his  uncle's 
house  a  young  girl  still  at  school  in  a  convent,  makes  violent 
love  to  her,  but  secretly.  The  girl,  pleased  at  first,  as  any 
maiden  would  be  with  her  first  lover,  is  at  last  frightened  and 
repelled  when  the  young  man  tries  to  persuade  her  to  a  secret 
marriage.  Insane  with  jealousy  and  maddened  because  the  un 
cle,  with  whom  he  lives,  refuses  to  furnish  him  with  all  the 
money  he  demands,  he  seeks  America  to  retrieve  his  fortunes 
and  forget,  if  possible,  the  young  girl  who  has  scorned  him.  In 
America,  with  much  cleverness,  he  rapidly  makes  his  way  into 
favor,  and  becomes  the  trusted  and  confidential  secretary  of  our 
beloved  mayor. 

Here,  during  the  mayor's  illness,  he  is  tempted  beyond  his 
powers  of  resistance  to  appropriate  to  himself  the  city's  money, 
which  is  left  entirely  in  his  trust.  He  might  have  resisted  the 
temptation,  but  one  day  he  meets  at  dinner  the  young  lady  who 
had  so  inflamed  his  heart  in  Paris.  At  the  same  dinner  he 
meets  a  gentleman  who,  with  the  keenness  of  jealousy,  he 
discovers  is  also  interested  in  the  young  lady.  He  has  al 
ways  believed  that  if  he  had  money  his  suit  would  not  have 
been  so  scornfully  rejected.  In  a  flash  his  clever  brain  sug 
gests  a  scheme  by  which  he  may  become  the  possessor  of 
wealth,  win  the  young  lady  and  at  the  same  time  ruin  the  man 
whom  he  believes  to  be  his  rival.  He  does  not  delay  a  moment 
to  put  his  scheme  into  execution.  The  fates  are  with  him. 
The  young  man  is  persuaded  to  lend  himself  to  the  plan,  be 
lieving  that  he  is  thus  rendering  a  service  to  Mr.  Livingston, 
whose  nobility  of  character  has  already  won  his  profoundest  ad 
miration. 

When  the  secretary  introduces  this  young  man,  the  prisoner, 
to  the  mayor's  office,  he  contrives  a  little  plan  by  which  he  pre 
tends  it  may  be  necessary  for  the  prisoner  to  visit  the  money 
vaults  in  order  to  pay  the  claims  of  two  needy  old  pensioners. 


280  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

This,  simply  to  make  more  plausible  his  insistence  in  showing 
the  prisoner  the  money  vaults  and  the  rather  intricate  means  of 
gaining  access  to  them, —  which  knowledge  he  intends  to  use 
against  him  in  the  future.  The  prisoner  objects  strenuously 
to  having  anything  to  do  with  the  money  but  is  silenced  by  this 
appeal  to  his  charitable  instincts.  Of  course  there  never  were 
any  such  pensioners,  outside  of  the  secretary's  brain.  To  com 
plete  every  small  detail  by  which  he  may  be  able  to  throw  sus 
picion  on  the  prisoner,  he  first  shows  him  a  drawer  where  sta 
tionery  may  be  found,  and  then  leaves  the  keys  in  the  same 
drawer,  hoping  for  the  very  thing  that  happened  —  that  when 
the  prisoner  hastens  to  return  the  keys  to  their  proper  place 
he  may  be  discovered  coming  from  the  money  room  by  Pompey, 
whom  he  has  instructed  to  enter  the  office  every  few  moments 
with  offers  of  attentions  of  some  kind,  without  waiting  to  be 
summoned  by  the  prisoner.  And  he  has  instilled  a  seed  of  sus 
picion  in  Pompey's  mind  by  suggesting  that  thus  he  can  keep 
strict  watch  on  the  prisoner.  No  doubt  the  prisoner  was  "  red  " 
—  the  afternoon  was  hot  —  and  no  doubt  he  was  "  flustery  " 
for  he  has  himself  said  that  he  was  indignant  with  Mr.  La 
Force  for  having  been  so  careless  as  to  leave  the  keys  where,  if 
he  had  not  discovered  them,  any  thief  might  have  found  them 
and  he  would  have  been  held  responsible. 

In  the  meantime,  the  two  nights  that  intervened  between  the 
dinner  where  the  secretary  formed  his  diabolical  plan,  and  the 
day  when  the  prisoner  took  charge  of  the  office,  were  em 
ployed  by  the  secretary  in  conveying  the  city's  money,  in  amounts 
sufficiently  small  to  be  carried  by  himself,  from  the  mayor's 
office  to  a  place  of  concealment  where  he  had  also  conveyed  a 
chest  large  enough  to  hold  "  many  thousands  of  pounds."  And 
early  in  the  morning  of  that  same  day  on  which  the  prisoner 
took  charge  of  the  office,  the  25th  of  August,  before  it  was 
hardly  light,  he  himself  drove  a  wagon  drawn  by  "  two  strong 
horses,"  bearing  the  heavy  chest  across  Paulus'  ferry  on  the 
earliest  boat,  and  made  his  way  to  the  camp  of  the  Hurons,  the 
location  of  which  he  had  previously  ascertained. 

Now  it  must  be  perfectly  evident  to  the  jury  that  much  of 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  281 

this  last  is  mere  inference.  Had  Mr.  Cooper's  story  been  known 
earlier,  witnesses  could  no  doubt  have  been  secured  to  prove  it 
all  —  the  man  from  whom  the  chest  was  bought,  the  man  from 
whom  the  horses  and  wagon  were  bought,  and  the  ferryman 
over  Paulus'  ferry;  but  it  will  be  time  enough  to  secure  these 
witnesses  when  the  secretary  is  brought  to  trial.  As  for  his  ac 
quaintance  with  the  Hurons'  camp,  he  said,  at  that  very  dinner 
where  he  first  met  the  prisoner,  that  he  had  that  day  been  en 
tertaining  at  the  mayor's  office  a  party  of  Huron  Braves,  who 
were  old  friends  of  his,  passing  through  the  city  on  their  way 
north. 

"  That  young  Mr.  Cooper  should  have  so  opportunely  turned 
up  to  add  his  testimony  seemed  like  an  interposition  of  the 
fates,  or,  more  truly,  of  that  Providence  that  I  reverently  be 
lieve  guides  the  affairs  of  mortals,"  said  Mr.  Hamilton  solemnly. 
"  There  can  be  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of  anyone  that  the  man 
he  met  leaving  the  camp  of  the  Hurons  in  the  Shawangunk 
Hills  on  the  evening  of  the  25th  of  August  was  the  man  who 
said  he  left  for  Long  Island  in  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  Au 
gust;  who  was  sending  his  property  to  -Lake  Otsego,  where  he 
had  told  Miss  Desloge  he  intended  to  buy  an  estate.  If  there 
had  been  any  doubt  in  the  mind  of  anyone,  even  after  Mr. 
Cooper's  accurate  description  of  the  secretary,  there  could  have 
been  none  after  his  dramatic  recognition  of  him  as  he  entered 
the  court-room.  I  did  not  myself  see  that  recognition  —  I 
purposely  avoided  looking  at  Mr.  Cooper  —  but  I  saw  it  vividly 
reflected  in  the  faces  of  the  jurors. 

"  You  will  tell  me,"  Mr.  Hamilton  went  on,  "  that  there  is 
one  weak  point  in  this  evidence:  why  did  not  this  man  disap 
pear  with  his  booty?  He  would  have  had  two  days'  start  of 
any  possible  suspicion  since  he  had  announced  he  would  be 
away  from  the  office  for  two  days.  That  so  clever  a  man  should 
have  lingered  about  the  seat  of  his  crime  until  he  became  inex 
tricably  tangled  in  the  toils  he  had  so  clumsily  woven  for  an 
other,  is  but  another  direct  evidence,  to  my  mind,  of  an  over 
ruling  Providence. 

"  But  the  means  which  that  Providence  took  to  accomplish 


282  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

its  ends  were  simple.  He  would  not  leave  until  he  could  per 
suade  the  woman  he  loved  madly  and  blindly  to  leave  with  him. 
Once  disencumbered  of  his  booty,  he  believed  he  could  come 
back  and  tell  her  of  the  rich  inheritance  that  had  fallen  to  him ; 
paint  the  charms  of  life  on  the  beautiful  Otsego  and  persuade 
her  to  marry  him.  That  at  first  she  gave  him  no  encourage 
ment,  that  she  refused  him  as  positively  as  she  had  done  in 
Paris,  did  not  discourage  him,  for  she  endeavored  to  make  her 
refusal  kind ;  she  could  not  but  pity  a  passion  which  had  seemed 
to  take  such  entire  possession  of  the  man. 

"  Later,  when  she  had  begun  to  doubt  the  truth  of  his  story 
of  an  inheritance,  and  when  she  began  to  fear  he  had  some  de 
signs  against  Sir  Lionel,  she  did  not  answer  him  so  decidedly, 
but  kept  him  dangling,  hoping  thus  to  discover  his  designs, 
if  he  had  any,  and  frustrate  them.  Her  suspicions  were  of  the 
vaguest  until  on  the  sloop,  Clermont,  on  their  way  up  the  Hud 
son  to  West  Point  she,  with  others  on  the  boat,  noticed  Mayor 
Livingston's  entire  change  of  manner  toward  Sir  Lionel  —  his 
coldness  and  his  averted  looks.  In  a  flash  her  keen  feminine 
intuition  traced  the  change  to  its  right  source  —  the  visit  of 
Mayor  Livingston  to  his  office  the  evening  before  and  the  prob 
ability  that  Mr.  La  Force  had  endeavored  to  poison  the  mayor's 
mind  against  Sir  Lionel  as  he  had  endeavored  to  poison  hers. 
That  night  she  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  La  Force  and  sent  it  back 
to  New  York  from  West  Point  by  the  commandant's  orderly, 
charging  him  with  having  slandered  Sir  Lionel,  and  demand 
ing  to  know  at  once  of  what  he  accused  him.  Mr.  La  Force 
refused  to  tell  her  by  letter,  but  promised  she  should  know  all 
when  she  came  back  to  New  York  for  the  laying  of  the  corner 
stone.  Of  course,  he  accompanied  this  promise  with  another 
impassioned  plea  for  himself. 

"  It  was  very  soon  after  receiving  this  letter  that  Mr.  Living 
ston  told  her  of  the  robbery  and  his  secretary's  accusations 
against  Sir  Lionel.  The  whole  matter  seemed  perfectly  clear 
to  Miss  Desloge  —  that  Mr.  La  Force  was  himself  the  criminal 
— -but  having  no  proof  of  the  matter  she  did  not  dare  accuse 
him  to  Mr.  Livingston,  who  trusted  him  utterly,  but  contented 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  283 

herself  with  declaring  she  was  absolutely  sure  of  Sir  Lionel's 
innocence;  and  it  was  easier  to  confine  herself  to  such  protesta 
tions  because  Mr.  Livingston,  also,  did  not  believe  him  guilty. 

"  It  was  now  within  a  few  days  of  the  time  for  starting  for 
New  York.  Miss  Desloge  was  in  a  terrible  dilemma  —  what 
was  her  duty?  Was  it  her  duty  to  accuse  Mr.  La  Force  or  at 
least  to  convey  to  Mr.  Livingston  her  suspicions  and  give  him 
her  reasons  for  them?  It  seemed  impossible  to  her  to  do  that, 
remembering  that  she  had  once  called  him  friend,  and  that, 
however  false  he  might  be  in  other  matters,  his  love  for  her 
seemed  true,  sincere  and  ardent.  While  still  debating  her  duty, 
she  answered  Mr.  La  Force's  letter  by  a  brief  note  telling  him 
she  should  hold  him  to  his  promise  when  she  saw  him  in  New 
York  and  saying  nothing  of  the  promise  he  had  begged  for  in 
return.  Her  silence  Mr.  La  Force  took  for  encouragement,  as 
she  probably  knew  he  would,  and  he  met  her  on  her  return  to 
New  York  with  something  of  the  confident  air  of  an  accepted 
suitor.  This  was  a  great  trial  to  Miss  Desloge,  and  with  diffi 
culty  she  schooled  herself  to  treat  him  with  ordinary  civility. 
She  would  probably  have  been  obliged  to  find  relief  for  her 
feelings  in  confiding  her  suspicions  to  Mr.  Livingston  but  for 
the  fact  of  Sir  Lionel's  unexpected  appearance  in  New  York  and 
immediate  arrest.  The  very  next  day  his  counsel  was  ap 
pointed,  and  Miss  Desloge  sought  him  immediately,  made  a 
clean  breast  of  her  suspicions  and  difficulties  and  begged  for 
advice.  The  advice  was,  on  no  account  to  say  anything  to  any 
one  of  her  suspicions  and  to  bear  with  Mr.  La  Force  as  best 
she  could  until  the  trial,  which  would  be  only  a  week  away. 
She  implored,  if  there  was  any  possible  way,  to  be  excused  from 
testifying,  but  there  was  none,  though  the  examination  was 
made  as  little  difficult  as  possible  for  her. 

"  One  other  small  point  and  I  am  done  with  my  tale,"  said 
Mr.  Hamilton  drawing  more  closely  to  the  jurors  and  adopt 
ing  a  quiet,  confidential  tone,  "  Mr.  La  Force's  '  incontrovertible 
proof '  was  the  marked  coin,  and  the  fact  that  he  had  marked 
every  coin  as  it  was  deposited  in  the  drawers.  The  veriest  child 
could  see  how  quickly  he  broke  down  under  examination  on  that 


284  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

point  —  there  were  no  marked  coins.  But  Mr.  La  Force  omit 
ted  to  state  —  possibly  it  had  passed  his  mind  —  that  if  Pom- 
pey's  coin  had  been  marked  it  could  have  been  no  proof  of  my 
client's  guilt,  for  on  the  very  day  before  my  client  took  charge 
of  the  office,  Mr.  La  Force  had  himself  changed  a  large  sum  of 
English  gold  into  American  gold  for  him." 

There  was  a  stillness  that  could  be  felt  in  the  court-room  as 
Mr.  Hamilton  drew  his  slender  figure  up  to  its  full  height  and 
regarded  the  jurors  silently  for  a  moment  with  those  wonderful, 
flashing  eyes. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,"  he  said  slowly  and  impressively, 
"  I  leave  my  client  in  your  hands.  You  have  heard  the  evi 
dence,  you  have  heard  what  I  had  to  tell  you  in  addition  to  or 
in  explanation  of  the  evidence.  I  cannot  control  your  decision 
but  I  can  demand,"  and  here  he  wheeled  suddenly  and  faced 
the  judge  with  outstretched  arm  — "  I  do  demand  —  the  arrest 
of  Mr.  La  Force!" 

It  was  when  Mr.  Hamilton  had  begun  to  tell  of  Miss  Desloge's 
suspicions  and  the  means  she  had  employed  to  conceal  them 
and  to  frustrate  his  designs,  that  I  saw  Mr.  La  Force's  eyes 
drop,  his  hands  clench,  his  whole  body  become  rigid.  Every 
eye  but  mine  in  that  house  was  on  Mr.  Hamilton  as  he  spoke 
his  concluding  words;  mine,  alone,  were  on  Mr.  La  Force.  I 
saw  his  swift  glance  about  the  room  that  discovered  no  one  was 
watching  him,  and  the  sudden  spring,  light,  swift,  silent  and 
graceful  as  the  panther  with  which,  in  my  thoughts,  I  had  been 
comparing  him.  He  was  through  the  window  and  on  the  bal 
cony,  and  no  one  seemed  to  have  seen  him  but  me.  In  my  ex 
citement  I  forgot  that  I  was  a  prisoner.  I  leaped  to  my  feet 
and  shouted  wildly,  "  Stop  him !  Stop  him  !  He  's  gone !  " 

In  a  moment  everything  was  in  the  wildest  confusion,  and, 
still  forgetting  that  I  was  a  prisoner,  I  was  over  the  railing  of 
my  box,  across  the  platform  and  with  one  leap  had  cleared  the 
space  between  the  platform  and  the  window  before  I  remem 
bered.  No  one  was  thinking  of  me,  I  could  easily  have  escaped. 
I  looked  through  the  window  and  saw  La  Force  running  like 
the  wind  down  Broad  Street.  How  he  had  managed  to  get 


MADEMOISELLE  KNOWS  285 

down  from  that  high  balcony  —  the  same  that  my  Jehu  had 
pointed  out  to  me  on  the  day  of  my  arrival  as  the  sacred  spot 
where  Washington  had  taken  his  first  oath  of  office  —  I  could 
not  guess.  But  I  was  in  an  agony  to  follow  him.  What  he 
had  done,  I  was  very  sure  I  could  do.  There  was  no  feat  of 
agility  I  would  not  dare  attempt,  and  everybody  else  was  so 
slow,  running  back  through  the  long  room  and  down  the  long 
steps. 

At  that  moment  I  saw  La  Force  disappear  into  a  garden  gate 
on  Broad  Street  and  still  no  pursuer  in  sight.  I  looked  back 
at  the  judge  and  jury  in  an  agony  of  spirit,  for  my  soul  had 
been  wrought  to  the  highest  pitch  of  indignation  and  righteous 
anger  during  Mr.  Hamilton's  speech,  and  the  thought  of  La 
Force's  escape  was  unbearable. 

As  I  looked  back  a  wonderful  thing  was  taking  place.  The 
foreman  of  the  jury  was  on  his  feet  and,  amid  all  the  tumult,  I 
heard  him  say: 

"  Your  Honor,  the  jury  has  come  to  a  decision.  May  we 
give  it  without  waiting  for  further  proceedings?" 

The  judge  looked  at  the  prosecuting  attorney;  the  prosecut 
ing  attorney  nodded  his  assent  and  the  judge  gave  his.  Jury, 
judge  and  counsel  were  anxious  to  be  free  and  away  after  the 
fugitive. 

"  Not  Guilty,  Your  Honor,"  called  the  foreman  quickly. 

"  I  declare  the  prisoner  free ! "  pronounced  the  judge,  rising 
hastily  to  his  feet  as  he  spoke ;  and  the  prisoner,  shouting  grate 
fully  but  hurriedly,  "  I  thank  Your  Honor  and  the  Jury,"  was 
out  of  the  window  and  away. 


XXIII 

ON   THE   TRAIL 

TWO  weeks  from  the  day  I  sprang  out  of  the  window  of 
Federal  Hall  to  follow  La  Force,  almost  to  the  very  hour, 
a  party  of  six  rode  up  under  the  Clermont  maples,  a  magnificent 
canopy  of  scarlet  and  gold  fit  for  kings  to  walk  under.  And  the 
six  were  Kemble,  Ogden,  Irving,  Cooper,  myself  and  —  my  big 
American ! 

When  I  had  found  my  way  to  the  ground  from  that  high 
balcony  by  sliding  down  a  slender  water  pipe  I  met  the  throng 
tumbling  pellmell  down  the  steps,  and  at  my  cry :  "  He  has 
gone  through  to  the  Broadway ! "  they  turned  and  followed  me 
instead  of  rushing  down  Broad  Street,  for  which  they  were 
headed. 

But  all  our  pursuit  was  fruitless.  The  Broadway  was  de 
serted,  and  though  we  searched  the  house  and  garden  I  had 
seen  him  enter,  we  found  no  trace  of  him.  An  hour  we  spent 
in  vain  rushing  up  one  street  and  down  another,  and  at  Cooper's 
suggestion,  out  to  the  Paulus  Hook  ferry.  But  the  ferry  was 
just  making  its  landing  on  the  Jersey  side.  At  that  distance  it 
was  impossible  to  distinguish  whether  he  was  one  of  the  little 
throng  leaving  the  boat.  It  would  be  another  hour  before  the 
ferry  returned,  we  would  have  a  breathing  spell  to  determine 
on  our  plan  of  pursuit;  for  we  had  come  to  be  as  certain  as 
young  Cooper  that  he  had  crossed  to  the  other  side  and  was 
well  on  his  way  to  Otsego  Lake.  And  young  William  Jay 
being  the  bearer  of  a  message  from  Mr.  Livingston  that  he 
particularly  desired  my  presence  at  his  house,  as  he  had  a  sur 
prise  in  store  for  me,  we  arranged  to  meet  there  in  an  hour 
with  all  preparations  made  for  our  expedition. 

Kcmble  and  William  accompanied  me  to  Mr.  Livingston's 

286 


ON  THE  TRAIL  287 

and  we  were  still  talking  eagerly  of  our  plans  as  we  walked 
back  through  Cortlandt  Street  and  down  Broadway  to  Number 
one.  Kemble  and  I  concluded  that,  if  Cooper  agreed  with  us, 
we  would  limit  our  party  to  four  or  five.  A  larger  number 
Avould  probably  only  retard  our  speed,  and,  if  the  Hurons  were 
as  friendly  as  Cooper  represented  them,  there  would  be  no  ques 
tion  of  fighting;  we  would  only  have  to  lay  the  case  before  their 
chief  to  have  La  Force  delivered  up  to  us.  William  was  begging 
to  be  allowed  to  go  with  us,  but  to  this  I  would  not  hear. 

"  You  are  far  too  young,  William,"  I  said  firmly,  "  to  endure 
such  a  forced  march  as  we  must  make,  and  there  is  no  possible 
way  of  getting  your  father's  consent  in  time.  Back  to  school 
you  must  go.  But  there  is  one  friend,"  I  added,  turning  to 
Kemble  and  paying  no  attention  to  William's  loud  demurrals, 
"  that  I  would  give  anything  to  have  with  us.  He  and  his  great 
horse  Bourbon  would  be  worth  a  dozen  ordinary  men  and 
horses." 

"  I  know  whom  you  mean.  It 's  a  pity  there  is  no  way  of 
getting  word  to  Philadelphia  in  time,"  said  Kemble  gravely. 
Whereupon  William  uttered  a  short  and  most  unmannerly  laugh. 
I  looked  at  him  in  some  surprise,  for  I  had  discovered  no  occa 
sion  for  laughing.  He  apologized  at  once;  said  he  did  not 
know  why  he  laughed,  and  to  cover  his  confusion  began  to  insist 
that  I  must  take  Saladin  with  me. 

"Your  friend's  horse  could  be  no  better  than  Saladin,"  he 
declared  proudly. 

"  I  don't  believe  there 's  a  horse  in  the  world  better  than 
Saladin,  William,"  I  returned  warmly,  "  and  if  you  are  really 
willing  that  I  should  take  him  with  me,  nothing  could  give  me 
greater  pleasure." 

"  I  wish  you  would  keep  him  and  call  him  your  own  while 
you  are  in  this  country,  Sir  Lionel,"  said  the  boy  shyly.  He 
had  been  developing  a  sort  of  hero  worship  for  me  since  my 
arrest  and  now  nothing  could  be  too  good  for  me. 

I  was  glad  I  was  to  have  Saladin  for  this  emergency,  but 
all  the  time  we  had  been  discussing  him  I  was  saying  to  my 
self  — "  In  a  few  minutes  I  will  see  Mademoiselle.  How  will 


288  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

she  receive  me?  Whal  must  I  say  to  her?  What  words  can  I 
ever  find  to  express  my  gratitude  ?  "  I  thought  little  of  the 
surprise  in  store  for  me,  and  when  I  did  it  was  only  with  an 
uneasy  feeling  that  Mayor  Livingston  was  preparing  some  pub 
lic  demonstration  of  congratulations  that  would  be  little  to 
my  taste. 

Yet  when  the  surprise  came  it  put  to  flight,  for  the  time,  all 
thoughts  of  Mademoiselle.  As  we  entered  Mr.  Livingston's  no 
ble  library,  the  low  western  sun  illuminated  strongly  a  little 
group  standing  in  a  bow  window  at  the  end  of  the  room.  It 
turned  Mademoiselle's  hair  to  burnished  copper  and  I  could  not 
be  sure  whether  it  was  the  sun  or  some  strong  emotion  that 
made  her  wonderful  eyes  glow  like  stars  as  they  were  raised  to 
someone  with  whom  she  was  talking.  For  a  moment  I  looked 
only  at  Mademoiselle,  then  I  too  lifted  my  eyes  to  see  with 
whom  she  could  be  talking.  Bending  toward  her,  his  golden 
curls  like  an  aureole  about  his  fine  head,  his  dark  blue  eyes 
beaming  with  interest  and  friendliness,  stood  the  man  who, 
every  time  I  had  seen  him,  had  made  me  think  of  a  Greek  god, 
the  man  who  more  than  any  other  man  I  would  like  to  have  for 
a  companion  on  the  expedition  to  Otsego.  He  lifted  his 
head  at  that  moment  and  saw  me  and  came  toward  me  quickly, 
both  hands  outstretched,  in  the  fashion  I  suppose  he  had  learned 
in  France;  and  he  looked  so  glad  to  see  me  I  was  half  afraid  he 
was  going  to  kiss  me  after  the  French  fashion,  and  I  was  so  glad 
to  see  him  I  would  not  have  minded  much  if  he  had. 

"  Did  my  wishing  for  you  bring  you  ?  "  I  asked,  when  the 
first  greetings  were  over. 

"I  came  the  moment  I  heard  of  your  troubles,  but  I  see  I 
came  too  late  to  be  of  any  service,  for  which  I  am  half  sorry," 
he  answered. 

"  How  long  can  you  stay  ?  "  I  asked  abruptly. 

"  I  came  intending  to  stay  as  long  as  you  needed  me.  Since 
you  do  not  need  me,  I  must  return  to-morrow,  I  think." 

"  Is  it  because  of  your  father  you  must  go  so  soon  ?  "  I  asked 
anxiously. 

"  My  father  is  better,  very  much  better,  or  I  could  not  have 


ON  THE  TRAIL  289 

left  him.     He  urged  me  to  come,  but  I  know  he  misses  me, 
and  if  I  can  be  of  no  service  here,  my  place  is  beside  him." 

I  did  not  answer.  I  was  not  sure  that  I  ought  to  say  what 
I  was  longing  to  say  — "  Come  with  us  to  find  La  Force." 

These  few  minutes  that  we  had  been  talking  together,  the 
whole  company  had  stood  silently  looking  on,  their  faces  beam 
ing  with  their  sympathy  in  our  joy  at  the  meeting,  as  I  dis 
covered  when  I  looked  around  me  now.  Mayor  Livingston 
was  the  first  to  come  forward  to  speak  to  me  and  then  the  others 
crowded  around,  eager  to  express  their  delight  in  the  verdict. 
Mademoiselle  was  the  last  and  was  a  little  shy,  I  thought,  which 
was  unusual  for  her,  for  I  had  often  envied  her  perfect  self- 
possession,  which  never  seemed  to  desert  her  in  any  crisis.  But 
when  I  tried  to  thank  her  for  what  she  had  done  for  me,  she 
interrupted  me,  and  I  thought  she  spoke  coldly. 

"  I  could  do  no  less,  Sir  Lionel ;  I  got  you  into  this  trouble. 
It  behooved  me  to  do  all  I  could  to  help  you  out  of  it." 

"  Got  me  into  it  ?  "  I  echoed,  not  seeing  in  the  least  what 
connection  she  had  with  my  trouble,  and  being  very  stupid  that 
I  did  not  see. 

"  Yes,"  She  colored  painfully  and  spoke  with  effort.  "  If 
you  do  not  see  in  what  way  I  am  responsible,  I  am  very 
glad,  but  none  the  less  I  know  that,  but  for  me,  you  would 
never  have  had  to  endure  the  suffering  and  ignominy  of  the 
last  week  and  I  feel  that  I  have  not  done  half  enough  —  I  can 
never  do  enough  —  to  atone  for  it." 

Then  it  flashed  into  my  mind  what  she  meant.  Of  course; 
it  was  La  Force's  desire  to  win  her  that  had  proved  too  strong 
for  him  to  resist  the  temptation  of  taking  the  money,  and  it 
was  his  jealousy  of  me  that  had  made  him  select  me  as  his 
victim. 

"  All  right,"  I  answered  her  gayly,  for  my  spirits  were  rising 
with  every  word  she  said.  "  Have  it  as  you  will.  I  like  very 
well  indeed  to  have  you  feel  under  obligation  to  me,  for  I  have 
so  long  been  owing  you  the  life  you  saved  from  the  yellow  fever, 
that  the  burden  of  debt  had  begun  to  be  very  heavy.  Shall  we 
call  it  quits  now  and  begin  all  over  ?  " 
19 


290  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Yes,  if  you  like/'  with  a  gay  little  smile  and  that  familial- 
twinkle  in  her  eye. 

A  black  servant  had  just  announced  dinner  and  Mademoiselle 
and  I  were  for  a  moment  apart  in  the  bow  window  while  Mayor 
Livingston  was  gathering  his  guests  together. 

"Then  if  we  are  beginning  all  over,"  I  said  quickly,  and  in 
so  low  a  voice  no  one  could  overhear,  "  I  want  you  to  take  back 
what  you  said  —  that  you  would  never  marry  anyone  but  a 
Frenchman." 

"  Did  I  say  that  ?  "  with  a  teasing  smile. 

"  Have  you  forgotten  it  ?  " 

She  saw  that  I  was  too  deeply  in  earnest  to  admit  of  jesting. 

"  No,  Sir  Lionel,"  she  said  gravely,  "  I  have  not  forgotten  it. 
But  I  must  say  once  more  I  will  never  marry  anyone  but  one 
of  my  own  countrymen." 

The  time  had  been  ill  chosen.  I  should  not  have  ventured 
on  a  renewal  of  my  suit  at  such  a  moment,  when  I  must  face 
a  dinner  table  full  of  friends  with  an  unmoved  countenance. 
But  something  in  her  eyes  and  her  twinkling  smile  had  lured 
me  on  irresistibly  to  my  fall.  The  blood  rushed  back  to  my 
heart  in  a  torrent  at  her  words,  and  it  took  every  atom  of  will 
power  I  possessed  to  hold  myself  steady  and  keep  my  lips  firm 
as  I  bowed  silently  and  offered  her  my  arm  to  conduct  her  to 
the  table.  She  must  have  seen  my  painful  struggle  and  to 
divert  my  mind,  no  doubt,  she  said  teasingly: 

"  But  who  knows !  If  Bonaparte  has  his  usual  good  luck  in 
this  war,  England  will  be  a  French  province  and  we  will  all 
be  good  Frenchmen  together." 

She  angered  me,  as  she  knew  she  would,  for  no  good  Briton 
could  hear  Bonaparte  so  spoken  of,  even  in  jest,  without  flashing 
fire. 

"  I  will  die  first,  Mademoiselle,"  I  exclaimed  proudly,  look 
ing  defiance  straight  into  her  eyes. 

And  what  did  I  see  in  her  eyes?  I  believed  with  all  my 
heart  it  was  a  generous  glow  of  admiration  and  I  seated  her  at 
the  table  with  a  lighter  heart  than  I  would  have  thought  pos 
sible  a  few  minutes  before. 


ON  THE  TEAIL  291 

I  had  tried  before  dinner  to  express  my  thanks  to  Mr.  Ham 
ilton,  and  my  admiration  of  the  manner  in  which  he  had  con 
ducted  my  case,  though  I  had  not  succeeded  to  my  own 
satisfaction,  since  it  had  been  in  a  hubbub  of  greetings  and  con 
gratulations.  I  was  seated  near  him  at  table  and  since,  for 
the  moment,  I  did  not  feel  equal  to  saying  anything  further  to 
Mademoiselle  Desloge,  I  turned  to  him  to  make  a  fuller  ac 
knowledgment  of  my  debt  to  him.  Mademoiselle,  it  seemed 
to  me,  rather  welcomed  the  opportunity  to  talk  to  Mr.  Living 
ston,  on  whose  left  she  sat  —  Mrs.  Hamilton  being  on  his  right, 
of  course  —  and  so  I  was  somewhat  distracted  and  floundered 
in  my  thanks. 

"  I  never  won  an  easier  case,"  said  Mr.  Hamilton  smiling. 
"Miss  Desloge  and  Mr.  Cooper  did  all  _1-e  work.  And,  by  the 
way,  what  has  become  of  Mr.  Cooper  ?  " 

"  He  is  waiting  at  Paulus  Hook  Ferry,  sir,  to  find  out 
whether  or  not  Mr.  La  Force  crossed.  He  will  be  here  to  re 
port  soon,  I  think,  and,  if  he  did  cross,  Mr.  Cooper  is  going 
to  guide  us  to  the  Huron  camp,  provided  he  can  get  leave  of 
absence." 

Everybody  stopped  to  listen  to  this  announcement  and  there 
was  an  immediate  chorus  —  Who 's  going  ?  When  do  you 
start?  and  many  other  questions  impossible  to  answer  in  a 
breath.  When  I  had  succeeded  in  making  it  clear  that  we  would 
probably  start  within  an  hour  or  two,  and  that  we  thought  it 
best  to  limit  our  number  to  four  or  five,  Irving,  who,  with 
Mayor  Livingston,  had  conducted  the  ladies  home  from  the 
trial  and  so  had  not  been  with  us  in  the  pursuit,  called  from 
the  lower  end  of  the  table,  "  I  am  one  of  the  five,  Sir  Lionel !  " 

"  With  all  my  heart "-  - 1  began,  but  almost  in  the  same 
breath,  Mayor  Livingston  and  Mr.  Hamilton  interrupted. 

"  You  must  not  think  of  it,  Washington ! "  exclaimed  the 
mayor  authoritatively. 

"Your  health  will  not  allow  it;  your  family  would  not  per 
mit  it,"  said  Mr.  Hamilton  more  gently. 

I  saw  Irving  color  with  annoyance.  I  learned  later  that  he 
never  liked  to  have  his  health  spoken  of,  but  I  had  myself 


292  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

noted  that  he  had  a  troublesome  cough  and  looked  far  from 
strong.  He  recovered  his  equanimity  in  a  moment,  however, 
and  answered  with  his  usual  gayety. 

"  If  it 's  only  my  health  that  prevents,  nothing  could  be  better 
for  me,  and  my  family  will  be  more  than  willing.  They  are 
talking  of  sending  me  on  a  long  horseback  trip  through  the 
mountains  north  of  Saratoga  for  the  very  purpose  of  giving 
me  some  rough  out-door  life  to  counteract  the  effects  of  my 
severe  application  to  my  law  studies." 

This  last  was  said  with  a  droll  affectation  of  solemnity  and 
was  greeted  with  a  shout  of  laughter,  for  Irving's  laziness  in 
his  profession  and  skill  in  slighting  his  studies  was  well  known. 

In  the  interchange  of  chaffing  that  followed  I  took  no  part, 
for  it  was  sufficiently  noisy  to  give  me  an  opportunity  to  say 
something  to  Miss  Desloge  that  I  greatly  desired  to  say. 

"  Mademoiselle,"  I  said,  "  I  inadvertently  saw  a  letter  lying 
on  the  hall  table  at  West  Point  addressed  to  Mr.  La  Force;  it 
was  a  great  relief  of  mind  to  me  when  I  learned  to-day  the 
object  of  that  letter." 

"  Oh ! "  she  exclaimed,  twinkling  and  dimpling  as  she  always 
did  when  she  was  merry.  "  That  was  it,  was  it  ?  I  could  not 
guess  what  ailed  you  that  first  week  at  Clermont,  and  I  have 
always  wanted  to  know." 

I  was  not  in  a  merry  mood,  but  I  could  never  resist  her,  when 
her  eyes  twinkled. 

"  What  a  silly  bear  you  must  have  thought  me,  but  you  will 
own  a  letter  written  to  my  rival,  and  burning  the  midnight  oil 
in  your  haste  to  get  it  off,  vas  enough  to  give  me  an  attack  of 
the  grumps." 

"  More  than  enough.  But  I  honestly  never  thought  you  silly, 
though  I  can't  deny  you  were  a  little  of  a  bear." 

"  Not  a  cub,  I  hope." 

"  Oh,  no !  Not  a  little  bear,  but  a  big,  growling  Bruin  that 
frightened  me  to  death  every  time  I  looked  at  him.  And  I  had 
meant  to  be  so  nice  to  you  at  Clermont  and  I  thought  we  would 
have  such  good  times  together,  and  you  spoiled  them  all.  I 
was  dreadfully  disappointed." 


ON  THE  TRAIL  293 

"  I  wish  I  could  think  so,"  I  answered,  "  but  I  cannot  believe 
that  anyone  but  I  suffered  the  pangs  of  disappointment." 

"  Oh,  not  pangs,  perhaps,  but  a  sort  of  —  gentle  regret.  And 
all  about  a  foolish  letter." 

"  Not  all  about  a  foolish  letter/'  I  corrected,  "  but  foolishly, 
all  about  a  letter." 

"  Yes,  that 's  better.  But  enough  of  the  letter.  I  have 
something  very  serious  to  say  to  you." 

"  You  frighten  me.  But  say  on.  My  courage  is  screwed  to 
the  sticking  point." 

"  Do  not  jest,  please.     I  beg  you  will  not  go  with  the  pursuit." 

Her  eyes  were  wells  of  tenderness;  I  hardly  dared  look  dowii 
into  them  while  she  spoke  so  gently  and  so  winningly.  But  I 
steeled  my  heart  against  her  softness. 

"  Not  go  with  the  pursuit  ?  But  I  am  the  pursuit.  To  me, 
more  than  to  anyone,  belongs  the  duty  of  bringing  the  criminal 
to  justice  and  restoring  the  city's  money  to  Mayor  Livingston." 

I  had  forgotten  for  the  moment  that  La  Force  had  once  been 
a  friend  of  hers  and  it  would  be  strange  indeed  if  there  were 
not  some  tenderness  lingering  in  her  heart  for  him;  and  that 
it  was  for  him  and  not  for  me  that  she  was  begging.  But  if  I 
had  forgotten  it,  for  a  moment,  it  came  back  to  me  with  a 
flash  when  she  answered  me  severely : 

"  Less  to  you  than  to  anyone.  You  have  borne  enough  and 
suffered  enough.  I  hope,  with  all  my  heart,  for  Mr.  Living 
ston's  sake,  that  the  city's  money  will  be  recovered,  but  if  Mr. 
La  Force  is  to  be  captured,  I  hope  you  will  have  no  hand  in  it." 

It  was  on  the  tip  of  my  tongue  to  demand  sternly,  "  Why  ?  " 
but  at  that  moment  Mr.  Ogden  and  Mr.  Cooper  were  announced, 
and  in  the  excitement  that  followed  there  was  no  further  oppor 
tunity  for  speech  with  Mademoiselle. 

There  could  be  no  doubt  that  La  Force  had  been  one  of  the 
passengers.  Though  the  ferryman  did  not  know  him,  he  had 
noticed  a  passenger  answering  accurately  to  his  description. 
More  than  that,  as  good  fortune  would  have  it,  Captain  Drake 
had  been  one  of  the  return  passengers  on  his  way  home  from  a 
visit  to  Liberty  Hall,  and  had  readily  granted  the  leave  of 


294  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

absence  to  young  Cooper  when  he  heard  the  case,  and  the  ferry 
man  was  willing  to  take  us  across  at  any  moment  we  should 
appoint. 

Kemble,  Irving  and  I,  with  one  impulse,  and  without  waiting 
for  apologies  to  our  host,  sprang  to  our  feet  at  these  tidings. 

"  We  are  ready ! "  I  exclaimed.  "  And  here  are  the  five : 
Kemble,  Irving,  Ogden,  Mr.  Cooper  and  myself.  Shall  we  start 
at  once,  gentlemen  ?  " 

"You  have  forgotten  me/'  said  Lloyd,  rising  to  his  feet  as 
he  spoke,  and  smiling  down  on  me  across  the  table. 

My  heart  gave  a  great  bound. 

"  Do  you  mean  it  ?  "  I  cried. 

"  I  never  meant  anything  more.  I  should  have  missed  my 
aim  in  coming,  if  I  could  not  help  you  in  this  emergency." 

"  I  would  rather  have  you  and  Bourbon  than  an  army  with 
banners  !  "  I  cried  enthusiastically.  "  Can  he  go,  Kemble  ?  " 

"  You  're  captain,  Sir  Lionel,"  laughed  Kemble,  "  and  I 
reckon  he  '11  have  to  go.  You  would  rather  have  him  than  all 
the  rest  of  us  put  together." 

"  Not  quite,  but  almost.  But  to  have  him  with  all  you  others 
makes  us  invincible." 

It  was  all  excitement  and  confusion  for  the  next  hour.  Og 
den,  Kemble,  Irving  and  Cooper  rushed  off  to  see  about  horses 
and  other  arrangements;  Lloyd  and  I  hurried  around  to  the 
City  Tavern  for  Bourbon  and  Saladin,  and  to  make  some  neces 
sary  preparations  for  the  expedition ;  "  Mammy,"  at  Mr.  Living 
ston's  orders,  set  to  work  providing  delicacies  enoiigh  to  provi 
sion  an  army  of  epicures,  and  William  was  dispatched,  greatly 
to  his  delight  at  being  allowed  to  help,  to  see  that  the  ferryman 
would  be  ready  for  us  at  seven. 

For  a  few  minutes  all  was  excitement  and  confusion,  there 
was  little  time  for  farewells  among  the  multiplicity  of  directions 
and  instructions;  but  one  word  with  Mademoiselle  I  hoped  for 
and  got.  Mr.  Hamilton  was  saying  to  me  with  his  whimsical 
smile : 

"  It 's  a  good  thing  you  did  n't  take  me  up  on  my  two  wagers, 


ON  THE  TRAIL  295 

Sir  Lionel.  I  should  have  lost  both  of  them.  The  jury  did 
not  go  out  at  all  and  I  see  no  prospect  of  the  criminal  spending 
the  night  in  the  Bridewell." 

"  I  '11  take  you  that  he  will  spend  this  night  two  weeks  there, 
Mr.  Hamilton/'  cried  Ogden. 

I  saw  a  quick  contraction  of  Miss  Desloge's  brow,  and  knew 
what  it  meant.  I  took  an  instant  resolve.  While  the  others 
were  discussing  the  wager,  laughing  and  noisily,  I  turned  to  her 
and  spoke  quietly: 

"  This  much  I  promise  you,  Mademoiselle,  if  I  can  find  any 
honorable  way  to  secure  Mayor  Livingston's  money  and  allow 
Mr.  La  Force  to  escape  I  will  do  it." 

Her  troubled  face  flashed  into  smiles. 

"  Oh,  thank  you ! "  was  all  she  said,  but  she  extended  her 
hand  impulsively  and  I  could  not  be  mistaken  —  a  gentle  pres 
sure  returned  my  ardent  one. 

And  so  that  was  how  my  friend  Lloyd  came  to  be  one  of  the 
six  riding  up  under  the  Clermont  maples.  And  a  tower  of 
strength  he  had  proved,  just  as  I  knew  he  would.  Dashing 
down  the  rocky  defiles  of  the  Shawangunks,  black  night  all  about 
us,  the  woods,  for  aught  we  knew,  full  of  unfriendly  savages; 
often  hearing  the  snarl  of  a  wild  cat,  the  stealthy  glide  of  a 
snake  or  the  blood-curdling  cry  of  a  panther,  so  like  a  living 
child's,  his  nerves  were  as  steady  as  if  he  were  riding  down  the 
Broadway  and  his  Indian  lore  and  his  lore  of  the  woods  served 
us  in  good  stead  more  than  once. 

When  we  had  left  the  wild  mountains  behind  us  we  followed 
the  windings  of  the  river  with  the  beautiful  Indian  name 
through  a  smiling  region  of  meadow,  field  and  orchard;  com 
fortable  farmhouses  with  big  barns  behind  them,  bursting  with 
garnered  grain;  golden  pumpkins  lying  on  sunny  slopes  between 
dried  stalks  of  Indian  corn  stripped  of  their  ears  and  left  to 
turn  brown  in  the  weather ;  orchards  gay  with  men  and  women 
wearing  jackets  and  shawls  of  warm  red  or  brilliant  blue  to 
protect  them  from  the  frosty  air  while  they  gathered  the  crim- 


296  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

son  apples  and  packed  them  in  barrels  for  the  market  or  tossed 
them  into  great  hampers  to  be  stowed  away  in  cellar  bins  for 
winter  eating;  and  under  every  spreading  chestnut  or  stately 
walnut  youthful  harvesters  were  making  the  woods  ring  as  they 
gathered  their  rich  crop  of  nuts. 

Hill  and  valley  were  aflame.  Never  had  I  dreamed  of  any 
thing  so  gorgeous  as  that  riot  of  crimson  and  gold.  And  as 
we  rode  gayly  through  this  fair  landscape,  the  air  we  breathed 
and  through  which  we  saw  all  this  blaze  of  beauty  was  so  softly 
golden  and  so  crisply  exhilarating  it  was  like  the  sparkling, 
amber-colored  wine  of  Orvieto,  and  no  wonder  we  burst  often 
into  rollicking  song  more  like  a  band  of  troubadours  at  some 
gay  pageant  than  like  a  little  company  of  men  intent  on  an 
errand  of  stern  justice. 

And  if  Lloyd  was  not  as  foolishly  gay  as  some  of  us  he  was 
no  damper  on  the  effervescing  spirits  of  anyone,  and  it  was  due 
to  him,  I  have  no  doubt,  that  our  passage  through  the  smiling 
farm  lands  was  a  triumphal  progress.  From  every  orchard  and 
every  chestnut  grove  boys  and  girls  trooped  out  to  bring  us 
apples  and  nuts  from  their  store;  and  did  we  but  stop  at  a 
farmhouse  for  a  drink  of  water,  shy  maidens  and  comely 
matrons  pressed  upon  us  milk,  and  bread  and  butter,  and 
always  a  kind  of  cake  they  called  variously  "  fried-cake," 
"  cruller,"  or  "  doughnut " ;  and  no  matron  or  no  maiden  had 
an  eye  for  any  one  of  the  six  but  the  beautiful  blonde  giant, 
nor  ear  for  any  thanks  but  his,  most  courteously  expressed. 

On  the  last  day  we  rode  along  a  high  shelf  overlooking  the 
valley  of  the  winding  river,  catching  an  occasional  silvery 
glimpse  of  it  through  the  thick  copses  that  marked  its  course, 
and  descending,  toward  evening,  to  cross  the  little  river  at  a 
ford  near  its  head  which  Cooper  knew,  as  he  had  known  every 
step  of  the  way,  so  far  —  we  would,  indeed,  often  have  been 
at  a  loss  without  him.  He  led  us  through  a  shaded  grotto 
where  overhanging  maples  and  birches  made  a  perfect  lady's 
bower,  to  a  great  bowlder  projecting  half  into  the  lake  and  half 
into  the  river  at  the  very  point  where  the  two  met.  And  there 


ON  THE  TRAIL  297 

framed  by  the  arching  foliage,  there  burst  upon  us  the  jewelled 
lake  lying,  opal-tinted,  under  the  amethyst  haze  of  sunset,  be 
tween  soft  slopes  of  emerald  turf  on  the  west  and  bold  rocky 
headlands  on  the  east,  flaming  in  the  topaz  and  ruby  of  birch 
and  maple. 

As  we  stood,  lost  in  the  amazing  splendor  of  the  glowing  lake, 
Cooper  pointed  out  to  us,  far  up  the  eastern  side,  some  strange- 
looking  huts,  and  a  curl  of  faint  blue  smoke  that  he  said  was 
the  camp  of  the  Hurons. 

"  And  what  is  the  smoke  on  the  western  shore  ?  "  asked  Lloyd 
in  his  calm  voice,  indicating  with  extended  arm  a  blue  column 
rising  just  beyond  a  point  of  land  running  out  into  the  lake. 
Cooper  uttered  a  hasty  exclamation. 

"  Strange !  Can  it  be  possible  the  Hurons  have  divided  into 
two  camps?  The  one  on  the  western  shore  is  at  Three  Mile 
Point,  their  old  camping  ground.  When  I  saw  the  one  on  the 
east  I  supposed  they  had  changed  their  location  for  some  reason. 
I  fear  me  now  the  eastern  camp  may  belong  to  hostile  Indians." 

As  he  spoke,  from  behind  the  wooded  Three  Mile  Point,  fol 
lowing  a  road  leading  toward  the  head  of  the  lake,  we  distinctly 
saw  a  wagon  emerge,  drawn  by  a  pair  of  horses  and  driven  furi 
ously. 

"  Quick,  Cooper !  Look  !  "  I  exclaimed  excitedly.  "  Is  that 
La  Force's  wagon  ?  " 

"  Can  you  tell  whether  there  is  one  white  horse  and  one  black 
one  ?  "  he  cried  eagerly. 

"We  all  strained  our  eyes  to  see,  but  it  was  Lloyd  who  an 
swered  quietly : 

"  Yes,  the  off  horse  is  white,  the  nigh  one  is  black." 

And  every  man  of  us  knew  that  La  Force  had  reached  the 
Huron  camp  ahead  of  us,  secured  his  treasure,  and  was  hurry 
ing  away  with  it  to  some  point  he  believed  more  secure. 

Nor  was  there  one  of  us  who  stopped  for  a  moment  to  regret 
the  good  supper  and  comfortable  lodgings  Cooper  had  assured 
us  were  awaiting  us  at  his  father's  house  in  the  little  village 
just  across  the  sparkling  Susquehanna.  But  each  one  tight- 


298  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

ened  his  saddle  girths  and  looked  well  to  pistols  and  powder 
before  he  sprang  once  more  into  his  saddle,  with  a  glance  of 
the  eye  so  stern  and  a  set  of  the  jaw  so  grim  as  I  had  never 
before  seen  in  those  light-hearted  lads. 


XXIV 

WE   CAPTURE   THE   CHEST   AND  AN   OWL  SCREECHES 

LA  FOECE  had  a  good  four  miles  the  start  of  us,  so  Cooper 
said,  and  his  horses  were  fresh,  yet  we  did  not  for  a  mo 
ment  doubt  that,  even  with  our  jaded  steeds,  we  could  overtake 
him,  since  he  was  encumbered  with  a  wagon. 

It  was  odd,  but  no  command  had  been  given  for  that  pur 
suit;  we  were  of  one  mind  and  acted  as  one  man.  Galloping 
madly  around  the  curving  southern  shore  of  the  lake  and  then 
along  the  western  slopes,  sometimes  having  our  quarry  in  view, 
oftener  losing  him  behind  projecting  points  of  land  or  where 
the  road  dipped  into  the  forest,  as  it  often  did,  only  to  reappear 
again  and  follow  the  pebbly  curve  of  the  beach,  I  thought  many 
times  of  my  promise  to  Mademoiselle.  How  I  was  to  keep  it, 
I  could  hardly  see.  With  the  best  will  in  the  world  the  others 
would  overrule  me  —  of  that  I  was  sure,  so  grim  and  forbid 
ding  was  each  man's  face  as  he  rode.  Even  the  laughing  Irv 
ing,  incarnate  spirit  of  jollity,  was  for  once  as  stern  as  any 
judge.  Lloyd  rode  up  beside  me  where  the  trail  broadened. 

"What  is  it,  Sir  Lionel?" 

"What  is  what?"  I  asked. 

"What  is  troubling  you?  You  have  been  brooding  over 
something  for  the  last  ten  minutes." 

And  then  I  told  him  of  my  promise  to  Miss  Desloge  and 
how  little  prospect  I  saw  of  being  able  to  redeem  it,  and  how 
uncertain  I  felt  whether  I  had  any  right  to  try. 

Lloyd  thought  a  moment  before  he  answered.  Indeed,  I 
had  often  noted  it  as  one  of  his  peculiarities  that  when  he  had 
anything  of  weight  to  say  he  always  stopped  first  to  think.  I 
wish  I  could  learn  it  of  him,  I  so  often  speak  impulsively  to 
my  cost.  At  last  he  spoke. 

299 


300  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  I  believe  you  are  right  to  try,"  he  said  slowly.  "  There 
is  something  due  Miss  Desloge  in  this  affair,  for,  without  her 
willingness  to  sacrifice  herself  in  the  cause  of  justice,  the  truth 
would  probably  never  have  been  known.  And,  after  all,  the 
money  is  the  thing." 

I  was  glad  he  did  not  intimate  that  it  was  for  my  sake  she 
had  made  the  sacrifice,  though  sometimes,  when  I  remembered 
the  glance  she  gave  me  as  she  left  the  witness-box,  I  half  per 
suaded  myself  that  it  was  partly,  at  least,  for  my  sake. 

"  But  how  am  I  to  accomplish  it  ?  "  I  asked  Lloyd.  "  I  am 
very  sure  neither  Irving,  Cooper,  Kemble  nor  Ogden  will  con 
sent  to  letting  him  go." 

"Leave  that  to  the  opportunities  of  the  moment,"  he  an 
swered.  "  I  will  help  you,  and  I  believe  between  us  both  we  can 
so  manage  as  to  make  it  appear  unintentional  on  our  part,  and 
impossible  of  prevention  by  any  of  us." 

And  then,  hesitating  a  little,  as  he  always  did  when  he  had 
any  confidence  to  make  about  the  Comtesse  de  Baloit,  he  told 
me  of  his  like  experience  with  the  Chevalier  Le  Moyne,  whom 
he  had  allowed  to  escape  at  the  request  of  the  comtesse. 

It  had  been  nearly  two  months  since  I  had  seen  Lloyd;  in 
that  time  he  might  easily  have  heard  from  the  comtesse  and 
I  could  not  forbear  asking  him  if  he  had. 

"  Only  once,"  he  answered,  "  about  two  weeks  after  my  return. 
I  think  it  more  than  likely  that  by  this  time  she  has  married 
the  Prince  de  Polignac;  it  would  be  most  suitable,  and  in  any 
event  it  is  a  closed  chapter  with  me." 

The  grim  set  of  his  jaws,  the  sternly  mournful  glance  of  his 
eyes  told  his  tale.  I  was  silent,  for  I  knew  not  how  to  express 
the  sympathy  that  wrung  my  heart,  and  in  a  moment  he  re 
covered  himself  and  turned  to  me  with  an  effort  at  gaiety : 

"But  tell  me  of  Mademoiselle  Desloge.  From  what  I  could 
observe  it  seemed  to  me  that  your  friendship  had  progressed 
far  since  our  voyage  on  the  Sea  Gull" 

"  As  far  as  I  could  carry  it,"  I  answered  gloomily.  "  But 
she  will  have  none  of  me.  She  vows  she  will  never  marry  any 
one  but  a  Frenchman." 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  CHEST  301 

An  exclamation  from  Cooper,  just  behind  us,  interrupted  the 
words  of  friendly  encouragement  Lloyd  was  beginning  to  utter. 

"  Look,  Sir  Lionel !  "  he  cried,  "  I  believe  he  'a  making  for 
that  other  camp  !  What  do  you  suppose  that  means  ?  " 

We  had  been  for  a  few  moments  so  engaged  in  our  own 
affairs,  Lloyd  and  I,  that  though  still  galloping  on,  we  had 
neglected  to  keep  watch  of  La  Force.  Now,  at  Cooper's  ex 
clamation,  I  saw  that  he  had  emerged  from  the  woods  at  the 
head  of  the  lake,  and  instead  of  keeping  a  northerly  course, 
as  we  had  supposed  he  would,  toward  the  Canadian  border,  he 
was  turning  south  again  toward  that  other  camp  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  lake.  None  of  us  could  understand  why,  but  we 
thought  it  possible  the  Hurons  could  explain  it  to  us  and  we 
were  just  rounding  that  Three  Mile  Point  on  the  other  side 
of  which  lay  their  camp. 

It  was  my  first  acquaintance  with  an  Indian  camp,  and  my 
first  meeting  with  Indians.  The  camp  was  curious  enough 
with  its  round  huts  formed  of  leafy  boughs  (though  one  or 
two  were  of  skins  stretched  on  poles),  and.  its  motley 
throng  of  children,  dogs  and  squaws  with  papooses  strapped 
on  their  backs.  They  were  making  ready  their  supper  to 
be  eaten  in  the  open  around  the  camp-fires,  and  we  were  hungry 
enough  to  make  the  odor  of  their  venison,  roasting  on  spits 
before  the  open  fire,  seem  good  to  our  nostrils,  and  the  sight 
of  the .  coarse  cakes,  baking  on  hot  stones,  enticing  to  our 
eyes.  The  chief,  with  the  older  men  and  the  young  braves  about 
him,  was  seated  at  a  little  distance  gravely  watching  the  prepa 
rations  for  supper,  and  none  of  them  offered  help  to  the  squaws, 
not  even  so  much  as  to  carry  the  heavy  buckets  of  water  from 
the  nearby  spring.  At  sight  of  us  the  men,  all  but  the  old 
chief,  rose  to  their  feet,  and  two  of  the  young  braves  came  for 
ward  to  question  us  as  to  our  business.  They  recognized 
Cooper  and  readily  granted  his  request  for  an  interview  with 
the  chief. 

I  confess  I  was  greatly  impressed  with  the  dignity  and  for 
mality  with  which  the  interview  was  conducted.  The  young 
men  were  dismissed  with  an  imperious  wave  of  the  old  chief's 


302  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

hand,  and  only  the  older  men,  who  seemed  to  form  a  kind  of 
cabinet,  remained  for  the  conference.  They  all  spoke  a  little 
English,  and  understood  it  better  than  they  spoke  it,  there 
fore  Cooper  insisted  I  should  take  my  place  as  Captain 
and  conduct  the  interview.  He  said  the  Hurons  were  very 
jealous  of  their  dignity  and  would  not  consider  themselves 
treated  with  the  proper  courtesy  should  the  duty  of  spokesman 
be  relegated  to  the  youngest  member  of  the  party.  I  suggested 
then  that  Lloyd  be  made  spokesman,  both  his  size  and  bearing 
could  not  fail  to  impress  the  savages,  but  he  flatly  refused  the 
office  and  there  was  nothing  left  for  me  but  to  undertake  it. 

It  was  necessary  that  our  conference  should  be  brief,  and 
yet  both  Lloyd  and  Cooper  impressed  upon  me  that  there  should 
be  no  appearance  of  haste  and  no  neglect  of  complimentary 
forms.  I  flattered  myself  that  I  conducted  it  with  some  di 
plomacy;  but  with  all  the  skill  I  could  muster  the  old  chief 
was  more  than  my  match.  The  only  information  I  succeeded 
in  extracting  from  him  was  that  La  Force  had  entrusted  him 
with  the  care  of  a  box  and  a  wagon  and  horses  a  few  weeks 
before,  and  that  he  had  returned,  as  he  had  said  he  would,  and 
but  a  brief  half  hour  ago  had  left  the  camp  with  wagon,  horses 
and  box.  He  professed  to  know  nothing  of  the  contents  of 
the  box  nor  of  La  Force's  destination.  Also  he  professed  to 
know  nothing  of  the  Indians  encamped  on  the  other  shore. 
Doubtless  they  were  as  friendly  to  their  white  brethren  as 
were  the  Hurons,  and  if,  as  the  Pale-face  captain  said,  the 
box  contained  money  stolen  from  the  White  Father  in  the  Great 
City,  he  did  not  doubt  that  it  would  be  only  necessary  to  tell 
our  story  to  the  chief  of  those  other  Indians  and  he  would 
deliver  up  the  box  and  the  "  Paleface  with  the  devil  eyes." 

I  quote  the  chief's  designation  for  La  Force,  and  I  confess 
it  pleased  me;  I  could  not  have  described  him  better.  But  in 
spite  of  the  "  devil  eyes,"  or  perhaps  by  means  of  them,  I  be 
lieve  La  Force  had  obtained  some  secret  and  powerful  influence 
over  the  old  chief,  and  while  professing  great  willingness  to 
assist  us  in  our  pursuit,  he  was  really  doing  all  he  could  to 
retard  us  and  give  La  Force  more  time  for  escape.  He  drew 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  CHEST  303 

out  the  conference  to  a  length  that  made  us  all  impatient 
before  we  could  extract  even  this  meager  information  from  him, 
and  when,  finally,  with  many  thanks  for  the  kindness  of  the 
great  chief  to  his  white  brother,  I  sought  to  bring  the  interview 
to  a  close,  he  pressed  us  so  urgently  to  share  the  meal  we  could 
see  was  almost  ready,  that  we  found  it  difficult  to  decline  with 
out  offending  or  appearing  to  offend  the  hospitable  Hurons. 
Some  of  the  good  brown  cakes  we  secured  to  take  with  us  and 
eat  as  we  rode  (and  we  found  them  better  to  the  eyes  than  to 
the  taste,  though  they  satisfied  the  cravings  of  hunger)  a 
shining  gold  piece  proving  too  much  for  the  chief's  sense  of 
hospitality  and  dignity.  A  second  gold  piece  procured  us  what 
we  needed  even  more  than  food  for  ourselves,  grain  for  our 
horses,  and  we  rode  away,  each  man's  pockets  stuffed  with  the 
brown  cakes  and  a  bag  of  grain  dangling  from  his  saddle  bow. 

I  had  noted  two  of  the  young  braves  in  close  conference  with 
Cooper  while  our  negotiations  for  the  bread  and  grain  were 
in  process.  Now,  as  we  galloped  on  toward  the  head  of  the  lake, 
Cooper  rode  up  beside  me  to  tell  me  the  substance  of  the  con 
ference.  They  had  warned  Cooper  not  to  trust  the  other  In 
dians  too  far;  they  were  not  so  friendly  as  the  Hurons.  They 
were  Canadian  Indians,  who  spoke  a  little  French  but  no 
English,  and  were  inclined  always  to  be  far  more  friendly  to 
a  Frenchman  than  to  an  Englishman.  La  Force  knew  this  and 
counted  upon  their  protection  to  the  Canadian  border. 

Moreover,  the  young  braves  had  had  many  questions  to  ask 
Cooper  about  our  party,  whence  they  had  come  and  why;  but 
more  particularly  were  they  curious  about  Lloyd,  whose  size  and 
beauty  seemed  to  have  impressed  them  greatly.  They  regarded 
him  as  some  kind  of  a  Paleface  god,  Cooper  thought,  and  I  did 
not  wonder. 

The  sun  had  set  and  the  late  moon  had  not  yet  risen,  when 
we  drew  near  the  second  camp,  but  a  glowing  camp-fire,  whose 
red  reflection  was  flung  far  out  on  the  waters  of  the  lake,  guided 
us  directly  to  our  goal.  Since  these  Indians  spoke  only  French, 
Lloyd,  to  whom  French  was  as  easy  as  his  mother  tongue,  was 
to  conduct  the  negotiations.  I  wonder  that  we  felt  no  more 


304  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

uneasiness  than  we  did  as  we  approached  the  camp,  for  the 
warning  of  the  young  Hurons  ought  to  have  forearmed  us. 
But  we  had  found  the  Hurons  so  friendly  that,  for  myself,  at 
least,  I  had  lost,  in  a  great  measure,  my  fear  of  any  savage. 
They  were  evidently  expecting  us,  and  their  warriors  had 
donned  all  their  finery  to  impress  us.  Imposing  head-dresses 
of  bright-hued  feathers,  brilliant-colored  blankets  worn  with 
something  of  the  dignity  and  grace  of  a  Eoman  toga,  richly 
beaded  moccasins  and  belts  from  which  hung  the  glittering 
tomahawk  made  a  brave  show,  and  quite  satisfied  the  ideal  I 
had  formed  of  the  appearance  of  an  Indian.  They  wore  no 
firearms,  but  a  disorderly  heap  of  rifles  was  piled  within  easy 
reach.  La  Force  was  nowhere  in  sight,  nor  was  his  wagon, 
but  once  I  caught  a  distant  sound  that  I  recognized  as  the  neigh 
of  a  horse,  and  I  believed  it  came  from  one  of  La  Force's 
horses. 

The  first  part  of  the  interview  was  most  friendly,  though 
most  false.  They  had  not  seen  any  Paleface  with  horses  and 
a  wagon;  no  doubt  the  one  we  sought  had  gone  on  beyond 
their  camp  farther  down  the  lake.  If  their  white  brethren 
liked,  the  chief  of  the  Iroquois  would  furnish  some  of  his  young 
men  as  guides  to  conduct  them  through  the  forest,  since  on 
this  side  of  the  lake  the  cliffs  rose  straight  from  the  water 
and  there  was  no  road  along  the  shore. 

Lloyd  professed  himself  grateful  for  the  chief's  offer;  he 
would  consult  with  his  friends  and  possibly,  after  a  night's  rest, 
which  they  greatly  needed,  they  would  be  glad  to  avail  them 
selves  of  the  proffered  guides.  With  much  formality  and 
many  stately  compliments  —  this  much  I  could  understand, 
even  with  my  poor  French  —  he  made  his  adieus.  The  chief 
pressed  upon  him  the  hospitality  of  the  camp,  supper  and  a 
lodge  for  himself  and  his  friends,  and  I  believe,  had  anyone 
but  Lloyd  been  conducting  the  interview,  we  would  never  have 
been  permitted  to  decline  the  hospitality;  we  would  have  been 
seized  then  and  there.  But  Lloyd  inspired  the  Iroquois  with 
something  of  the  same  awe  the  Hurons  had  felt  for  him,  and 
to  them  also,  I  have  no  doubt,  he  was  a  "  Paleface  god  "  and, 


WE  CAPTUEE  THE  CHEST  305 

at  least  so  long  as  he  was  mounted  on  that  magnificent  black 
stallion,  often  impatiently  snorting  and  pawing  the  ground, 
they  dared  not  lay  hands  on  him. 

They  allowed  us  all  to  withdraw  unmolested  to  some  distance 
in  the  woods,  where  we  made  a  hasty  camp  for  the  night. 
Purposely,  I  had  guided  my  party  in  the  direction  of  the  neigh 
I  had  heard.  I  thought  it  possible  we  might  come  upon  the 
wagon  and  seize  the  box  of  treasure  and  make  off  with  it  in 
the  night,  leaving  La  Force  to  his  Indian  friends ;  in  which  case, 
I  would  have  accomplished  both  my  purposes  —  recovered  the 
city's  money  and  fulfilled  my  promise  to  Mademoiselle  Desloge. 

When  we  had  found  a  little  spring  (this  country  seemed 
to  be  full  of  them)  and  fed  and  tethered  our  horses,  I  held  a 
council  of  war.  We  had  lighted  no  camp-fire  and  we  talked 
with  bated  breath,  for  we  hoped,  if  possible,  to  conceal  our  loca 
tion  from  the  Iroquois.  Had  I  known  Indians  and  their  meth 
ods  better,  I  would  have  known  how  vain  such  a  hope  was.  I 
divulged  my  plan  that  two  of  our  number  should  stay  with  the 
horses  and  the  other  four  reconnoiter  on  foot,  and,  if  possible, 
discover  and  carry  away  the  box  of  treasure.  Since  Cooper 
had  had  experience  with  the  great  weight  of  the  box,  and  since 
it  would  neither  be  feasible  to  burden  any  one  of  the  horses 
with  it,  nor  possible  to  steal  the  wagon  without  being  discov 
ered,  it  was  part  of  my  plan  to  bury  the  treasure  at  once,  in 
a  spot  so  marked  that  we  could  return  to  it  after  the  Iroquois 
and  La  Force  had  left  the  country. 

Lloyd  at  first  demurred  to  my  plan.  He  was  very  sure  the 
box  was  strongly  guarded  and  we  would  only  get  into  trouble. 
He  believed  the  best  way  was  to  wait  until  morning,  go  again 
to  the  Iroquois  chief  and  demand  the  treasure  in  the  name  of 
the  Great  Father  at  Washington,  a  name  that  carried  terror  to 
the  heart  of  every  miscreant  Indian. 

I  am  not  sure  that  the  result  would  have  been  any  different 
had  we  followed  Lloyd's  advice,  but  Ogden,  Irving,  Cooper  and 
Kemble  were  all  for  my  plan,  and  Lloyd,  seeing  he  was  in  a  hope 
less  minority,  yielded  with  a  good  grace  and  went  into  it  heart 
and  soul.  We  waited  only  until  we  believed  the  Iroquois  camp 

20 


306  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

was  buried  in  slumber.  Cooper  and  Irving  were  left  with  the 
horses,  and  guided  by  an  occasional  soft  sound  as  of  the  restive 
hoofs  of  a  horse,  the  rest  of  us  groped  our  way  slowly  through 
the  blackness;  at  times,  standing  still  and  holding  our  breath 
when  one  of  us  had  inadvertently  stepped  on  a  little  branch 
or  had  rustled  the  dry  leaves  by  a  careless  shuffle,  when  each 
foot  should  have  been  lifted  high  and  set  down  noiselessly. 
After  one  such  misstep,  when  it  seemed  to  me  the  snap  of  the 
breaking  branch  was  as  loud  as  the  report  of  a  pistol  and  would 
wake  the  seven  sleepers,  we  stood  a  full  two  minutes  as  if 
carved  from  stone  before  I  would  give  the  muffled  order  to  go  on. 
And  once  I  was  almost  sure  I  caught  the  sound  of  another 
stealthy  foot  that  belonged  to  none  of  us,  and  we  waited  another 
two  minutes,  scarcely  daring  to  breathe  and  listening  for  the 
sound  again. 

Our  progress  was  slow  and  often  we  lost  our  direction  and 
had  to  retrace  our  steps,  so  that  it  must  have  been  almost  an 
hour  before  we  came  so  near  the  horses  that  we  could  hear  the 
quiet  breathing  of  one  as  if  asleep  and  the  soft  munch  of 
the  other,  evidently  browsing,  and  yet  I  do  not  think  they 
could  have  been  more  than  two  hundred  yards  from  the  spot 
where  our  own  horses  were  tethered.  But  we  had  no  use  for 
their  horses  and  it  was  necessary  that  we  should  not  startle 
them  lest  they  give  the  alarm  to  the  camp.  It  was  the  wagon 
we  were  after,  and  groping  our  way  from  tree  to  tree,  keeping 
well  out  of  the  horses'  path,  we  finally  stumbled  upon  the 
wagon.  It  was  Ogden  whose  extended  arm  touched  it  first  and 
reaching  out  with  his  other  arm  to  find  Lloyd  and  me  in  the 
dark,  he  silently  drew  us  to  its  side. 

Now  I  had  been  very  sure  La  Force  would  have  left  his  heavy 
box  in  the  wagon  that  he  might  be  ready  to  fly  on  an  instant's 
warning,  but  I  had  been  quite  as  sure  he  would  leave  it  well 
guarded,  and  to  remove  the  box  without  alarming  the  guards 
I  had  feared  would  prove  an  almost  impossible  task.  I  had 
yet  to  learn  what  a  wonderful  thing  is  strength,  and  what  a 
marvelous  degree  of  it  Lloyd  possessed,  combined  with  the 
quietness  of  nerve  that  neither  worries  nor  hurries  over  an 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  CHEST  307 

appointed  task.  The  task  had  not  been  of  his  seeking,  he  had 
been  as  sure  as  I  that  the  treasure  would  be  well  guarded, 
but  the  exploit  having  been  decided  upon  he  proceeded  to 
execute  it  in  as  matter-of-fact  fashion  as  if  there  had  been 
no  daring  needed.  And  Ogden  was  as  brave  and  almost  as 
cool.  He  was  neither  quite  so  powerful  nor  quite  so  cool- 
headed  as  Lloyd,  but  he  was  not  far  behind  him  in  either 
quality.  He  on  one  side  of  the  wagon,  and  Lloyd  on  the  other, 
with  an  almost  incredible  deliberation  and  strength,  slowly 
moved  the  chest  to  the  open  end  of  the  wagon  and  so  out  of 
it,  while  Kemble  and  I  stood  on  guard,  a  pistol  in  each  hand, 
ready  for  instant  action  should  the  guard  be  aroused.  But  no 
guard  appeared,  and  silently,  stealthily,  we  moved  cautiously 
back  to  our  camp. 

In  that  short  journey  it  was  necessary  to  stop  and  rest 
several  times  and  so  slow  was  our  progress  that  almost  another 
hour  was  consumed  before  we  reached  our  camp.  We  could 
hardly  believe  our  own  good  fortune  that  we  should  have  ac 
complished  our  mission  without  molestation;  there  only  re 
mained  to  bury  our  treasure  and  steal  away  before  daylight 
should  discover  his  loss  to  La  Force.  But  here  a  new  diffi 
culty  confronted  us.  We  had  neither  pickax  nor  spade,  the 
soil  was  hard  and  gravelly,  and  we  could  do  little  with  only 
our  hands  or,  at  best,  sticks  for  tools.  I  was  for  forcing  open 
the  box  and  filling  our  saddle  bags  with  as  much  of  the  treasure 
as  we  could  carry,  leaving  the  rest  of  his  ill-gotten  gains  to 
La  Force.  But  the  box  was  strongly  made  and  strongly 
barred.  Without  tools  that,  too,  would  have  been  a  work  of 
time  and,  would  perhaps,  have  necessitated  a  noise  that  would 
betray  us. 

While  we  were  still  discussing  the  matter  in  whispers  the 
moon,  which  had  lately  risen  but  up  to  this  time  had  been 
obscured  behind  a  high  hill  to  the  east  of  us,  casting  all  that 
part  of  the  forest  into  black  shadow,  now  appeared  above  the 
hill  crest,  and  though  its  rays  were  still  obstructed  by  the 
trees,  it  shed  a  mild  radiance  quite  sufficient  to  discover  our 
surroundings  to  us.  We  glanced  around  us  rather  fearfully, 


308  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

not  sure  but  the  light  would  reveal  us  to  the  Iroquois,  and  we 
saw  with  relief  that  we  were  not  in  view  of  their  camp.  But 
Cooper  saw  something  else,  also,  and  a  hasty  exclamation,  only 
half  smothered,  escaped  him.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  as  he 
spoke : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  know  the  very  spot !  Natty  Bumpo's  cave ! 
Do  you  think  we  could  manage  to  get  the  chest  half  way  up 
that  hill  ?  "  pointing  to  the  rocky  promontory  west  of  us,  rising 
precipitately  from  the  water  on  the  lake's  side  but  of  a  more 
gradual  slope  on  the  side  toward  us. 

Ogden  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  looked  doubtful. 

"  It  was  all  we  could  manage  on  the  level,"  he  whispered. 

Lloyd  thought  a  moment  before  he  spoke. 

"  If  we  could  get  some  rope  and  some  strong  poles,"  he  said 
slowly,  "  we  could  four  of  us  carry  it  on  our  shoulders ;  but  we 
have  no  rope,  have  we  ?  " 

"Yes,"  I  answered  eagerly,  "we  have.  We  can  use  the 
tethering  ropes  from  the  horses.  I  am  sure  Saladin  needs  no 
tether  and  I  do  not  believe  either  Natty  Bumpo  or  Bourbon  do, 
either." 

In  a  moment  we  were  all  excitement.  Irving,  Cooper  and 
Kemble  set  out  to  find  the  poles  and  Lloyd,  Ogden  and  I  cut  the 
tethering  ropes,  bound  the  chest  with  them,  and,  thanks  to  my 
sea-training  at  Clover  Combe,  I  knotted  securely,  sailor  fashion, 
loops  at  the  four  corners  through  which  to  slip  the  poles  Cooper 
and  Irving  had  found  ready  to  their  hand,  the  wreck  of  some 
recent  storm. 

We  were  of  one  mind  that  Irving  was  not  strong  enough  to 
take  a  hand  in  the  bearing  of  the  chest.  He  was  left  with 
the  horses  while  the  rest  of  us  set  out  cautiously  on  our  up 
ward  path  under  Cooper's  guidance.  It  was  a  steep  and  ardu 
ous  climb,  with  our  heavy  burden.  We  must  not  only  climb 
half  way  up  the  steep  hill,  but,  by  a  path  so  narrow  that  only 
by  crowding  close  to  the  rocky  wall  could  we  find  footing,  we 
must  needs  pass  round  the  face  of  the  cliff  overlooking  the 
lake.  It  was  a  dangerous  passage.  A  misstep  would  have  sent 
us  hurtling  into  the  dark  waters  lying  a  hundred  feet  below  us, 


WE  CAPTURE  THE  CHEST  309 

and  we  must  needs  be  steady  of  head  as  well  as  sure  of  foot, 
lest  we  turn  dizzy.  Had  we  not  all  been  full  of  the  mad  daring 
of  youth  we  could  not  have  accomplished  it,  and  none  of  us  was 
sorry  when,  turning  a  sharp  corner,  a  difficult  feat  on  that 
narrow  path  at  that  dizzy  height,  we  saw  a  low  dark  cavity  in 
the  face  of  the  rock.  We  had  to  stoop  to  enter  it,  and  inside  it 
was  black  as  pitch,  but  groping  our  way  forward  we  soon  came 
to  the  rear  wall  of  the  cave,  and  kneeling  down  with  as  little 
noise  as  we  could  manage,  we  deposited  the  chest  on  the  ground. 

We  felt  secure  enough  in  this  inaccessible  retreat  to  dare  to 
speak  above  a  whisper,  and  congratulating  each  other  on  our 
success  we  sat  down  a  moment,  using  the  chest  as  a  bench,  to 
recover  our  breath.  I  was  wildly  elated  and  so  were  Ogden 
and  Kemble.  Lloyd  and  Cooper  were  not  quite  so  sure  that 
our  difficulties  were  over;  they  knew  more  of  the  ways  of  the 
savages  than  did  we.  It  seemed  to  me  an  easy  matter  to  re 
trace  our  steps,  mount  our  horses,  slip  away  before  the  dawn, 
and  return  for  the  chest  at  our  leisure.  I  felt  that  our  mission 
was  done  and  well  done. 

Remembering  that  it  had  taken  us  much  time  to  make  that 
arduous  passage  to  the  cave,  and  that  the  dawn  could  not  be 
very  far  away,  I  permitted  only  a  few  minutes  for  rest  before 
I  gave  the  order  for  the  return  march.  The  difficulties  of 
our  descent  were  not  great,  though  we  still  found  we  needed 
a  steady  head  on  the  narrow  path  around  the  cliff,  but  in  half 
an  hour  at  the  most  we  were  close  to  our  camp.  We  had  been 
gone,  altogether,  an  hour  and  a  half  or  two  hours,  time  enough 
for  much  to  happen.  And  the  worst  had  happened. 

Observing  even  greater  caution  as  we  approached  the  camp, 
we  were  creeping  slowly  forward  when  we  were  startled  by  the 
weird  cry  of  a  screech  owl,  so  close  it  sounded  in  our  very  ears. 

"A  signal !  "  exclaimed  Lloyd  in  a  whisper.  But  the  word 
was  hardly  out  of  his  mouth  when  each  man  of  us  was  seized 
from  behind,  his  arms  pinioned,  and  in  a  trice  his  pistols  and 
sword  removed. 

All  but  Lloyd's.  Two  stalwart  savages  had  grappled  him, 
one  at  each  arm,  but  with  the  exertion  of  his  tremendous 


310  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

strength  he  flung  them  to  the  right  and  left,  dashed  away 
through  the  woods  with  the  unerring  instinct  of  a  falcon  to 
where  he  had  left  Bourbon  tethered,  and  before  the  two  stalwart 
Iroquois  had  thoroughly  recovered  consciousness  from  the  heavy 
fall  that  stunned  them  for  a  moment,  we  heard  the  clatter  of 
Bourbon's  hooves  on  the  rocky  beach. 

And  dismayed  at  the  sudden  capture;  not  knowing  what  fate 
awaited  us  —  whether  instant  death  or  slow  torture  or  long 
captivity  —  greater,  for  a  moment,  than  all  other  dismay  was 
the  bitter  thought  that  my  big  American  friend  had  failed  me 
in  the  hour  of  need.  I  had  not  known  him;  only  a  coward  and 
a  dastard  could  have  used  his  great  strength  to  make  good  his 
own  escape  and  desert  his  comrades  to  their  fate. 


XXV 

THERE'S  MANY  A  SLIP 

THE  moment  our  arms  were  in  their  possession  the  savages 
released  their  hold  on  us  and  with  a  harsh  word  of  com 
mand,  "  en  avant ! "  from  their  leader  we  were  marched,  at  the 
muzzles  of  our  own  pistols,  to  our  camp. 

No  word  had  been  spoken  by  any  of  us  —  there  had  been 
neither  time  nor  opportunity  for  words  —  but  a  thousand  wild 
thoughts  had  flashed  through  my  brain  as,  no  doubt,  they 
were  flashing  through  the  brains  of  the  others.  When  the 
mad  rush  of  my  bitterness  toward  Lloyd  had,  for  the  moment, 
subsided,  my  first  conscious  thought  was,  "  What  will  Mademoi 
selle  think  when  she  hears  of  our  fate?  Or  will  she  never 
know  it?" 

But  there  was  no  time  to  dwell  on  thoughts  of  Mademoiselle ; 
anxiety  for  Irving  soon  drove  out  every  other  concern.  What 
had  happened  to  him  ?  Was  he  dead  or  alive  ?  In  two  minutes 
I  knew,  for  a  two  minutes'  march  brought  us  to  our  camp  and 
by  the  faint  moonlight  filtering  through  the  heavy  foliage  we 
saw  him  seated  by  the  spring  where  we  had  eaten  our  supper, 
a  huge  savage  covering  him  with  a  rifle,  and  by  his  side,  appar 
ently  talking  to  him,  La  Force ! 

"  Irving,"  I  exclaimed,  "  how  did  it  happen  ? "  and  won 
dered  that  he  did  not  reply  so  much  as  by  a  word;  but  in  a 
moment  I  saw  why.  He  was  gagged !  No  doubt  in  order  that 
he  might  make  no  outcry  to  warn  us.  The  necessity  for  such 
caution  being  now  over  I  saw  La  Force  give  some  command 
to  the  savage  guarding  Irving,  who  removed  the  gag. 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Savage,"  said  Irving  gravely  to  the  In 
dian,  who  understood  not  a  word  he  was  saying.  "  A  gag  is  a 
small,  but  remarkably  uncomfortable  instrument  of  torture;  I 

311 


312  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

am  glad  to  have  it  removed.  Also,  I  suppose  you  know  that 
in  this  country  it  is  illegal  to  deprive  any  man  of  his  freedom 
of  speech.  I  fear,  sir,  you  have  broken  one  of  the  statutes  of 
these  great  United  States,  and  insulted  the  majesty  of  the  law, 
represented  in  my  person,  Washington  Irving,  Barrister ! " 

I  was  in  no  mood  for  jesting  myself,  but  I  was  glad  to  see 
that  it  was  still  possible  for  him,  and  I  believe  his  kindly  in 
tention  was  to  relieve  a  little  the  terrible  strain  he  knew  I  must 
be  under,  as  leader  of  the  expedition,  and  holding  myself  re 
sponsible  for  the  safety  of  the  party. 

I  was  angered  beyond  endurance  at  the  sight  of  La  Force,  the 
black  lashes  and  white  rims  of  his  "  devil-eyes,"  as  the  Hurons 
had  called  them,  plainly  visible  in  the  faint  moonlight. 

"I  suppose  you  know,  Mr.  La  Force,"  I  said  to  him,  trying 
to  speak  calmly,  "  that  in  detaining  our  persons  you  are  com 
mitting  a  crime  against  two  great  nations,  the  United  States 
and  England,  and  that  it  is  not  probable  that  either  nation  will 
rest  until  that  crime  is  punished." 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  answered  coolly, 
"  and  I  have  warned  my  friends,  the  Iroquois,  of  the  risks  they 
run.  But  they  are  greatly  incensed  at  the  loss  of  the  treasure 
which  I  suppose  they  hoped  to  share.  They  say  it  will  be  many 
days  before  your  capture  is  known  to  the  White  Father  at 
Washington,  and  by  that  time  they  will  be  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  Great  Father's  soldiers." 

Every  word  he  said  made  me  angrier.  I  did  not  believe  he 
had  uttered  a  word  of  remonstrance  to  the  Iroquois;  on  the 
contrary,  I  believed  our  capture  had  been  entirely  at  his  in 
stigation.  Even  in  the  heat  of  my  anger,  however,  I  was  wiser 
than  to  tell  him  so,  and  at  that  moment  it  flashed  into  my 
mind  that  Lloyd  had  made  his  escape  in  order  to  rescue  us. 
I  do  not  know  why  I  had  not  thought  of  it  earlier,  and  I  was 
full  of  remorse  at  my  unjust  bitterness  toward  him.  I  thought 
it  might  be  the  part  of  wisdom  to  let  La  Force  know  that 
there  was  one  who  was  sure  to  send  a  rescue  party  for  us. 

"Who  I  have  no  doubt  will  not  only  free  us  but  avenge 
our  capture,"  I  finished  by  saying. 


We  saw  him  seated  by  the  spring,  a  huge  savage 
covering  him  with  a  rifle 


THERE'S  MANY  A  SLIP  313 

"  Ah,  you  refer  to  the  '  Paleface  god,'  as  my  Iroquois  friends 
call  him,  I  suppose  ?  "  he  asked  in  his  suavest  tones,  and  with 
his  glittering  smile,  plainly  visible  now  that  the  gray  dawn  was 
beginning  to  strengthen  the  feeble  moonlight. 

I  was  irritated  beyond  measure  but  as  I  started  to  speak  he 
interrupted  me: 

"  Your  pardon,  Sir  Lionel ;  I  have  been  saying  to  your  friend, 
Mr.  Irving,  that  I  hope  you  will  tell  the  Iroquois  where  you 
have  hidden  the  box  before  they  proceed  to  torture,  for  I  fear  I 
will  be  unable  to  restrain  them  or  protect  you  and  your  party 
should  they  be  exasperated  by  your  refusal  to  tell." 

Irving  broke  in  before  I  had  a  chance  to  reply.  I  think  he 
feared  I  might  be  induced  by  the  sound  of  that  word  "  tor 
ture  "  to  betray  the  hiding  place  at  once. 

"  And  I  would  have  answered  Mr.  La  Force,"  he  said 
quickly,  "  if  that  miserable  little  gag  would  have  allowed  me, 
that  it  was  not  for  me  to  decide;  that  I  did  not  think  it  was 
for  any  of  us  to  decide,  not  even  our  leader,  Sir  Lionel;  that  it 
ought  only  to  be  decided  in  full  council." 

"  I  thank  you  for  that  word,  Mr.  Irving,"  I  said  gravely,  and 
I  meant  my  thanks.  For  at  the  thought  of  torture  to  the  frail 
Irving,  to  the  merry  Ogden,  the  courtly  Kemble,  and  the  young 
lad  Cooper,  I  had  been  ready  to  reveal  the  secret  at  once,  if 
so  I  might  spare  my  friends.  But  I  saw  Irving  was  right; 
it  was  better  we  should  take  counsel  together.  Therefore  I 
said  to  Mr.  La  Force  that  I  hoped  he  would  arrange  with 
his  friends,  the  Iroquois,  to  allow  us  to  hold  a  conference,  and 
he  replied  that  it  might  be  arranged;  he  would  see  what  he 
could  do. 

All  this  time  each  member  of  our  party  had  been  covered  by 
either  a  pistol  or  a  rifle  in  the  hands  of  an  alert  savage;  the 
slightest  suspicious  movement  on  the  part  of  any  one  of  us 
would  have  meant  instant  death.  Mr.  La  Force  left  us  for  a 
few  moments,  still  so  guarded,  ostensibly  to  consult  the  chiefs 
of  the  Iroquois.  Really  I  think  he  had  only  to  express  his 
commands  to  have  them  executed.  The  consultation  took  some 
little  time.  In  fact,  I  thought  that  I  could  discern  that  for 


314  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

some  reason  the  savages  were  finding  various  pretexts  for  delay. 
Mr.  La  Force  returned  finally  and  said  that  with  some  diffi 
culty  he  had  been  able  to  persuade  the  chiefs  to  allow  us  the 
conference;  it  should  be  held  here  in  our  own  camp,  and  since 
the  Iroquois  understood  at  most  a  scattered  word  of  English,  the 
guard  would  remain. 

There  was  but  one  voice  in  our  council :  "  It  was  only  a 
ruse  of  La  Force's ! "  "  The  savages  were  too  thoroughly  in 
subjection  to  dare  such  a  thing ! "  "  Twenty-five  years  ago  it 
might  have  been  possible,  but  now  they  knew  they  would  have 
the  whole  great  nation  down  upon  them  at  once,  and  their 
tribe  would  be  annihilated."  "  Most  of  all,  La  Force  knew  we 
could  not  disappear  without  immediate  investigation,  since  all 
New  York  knew  whither  we  were  bound  and  why." 

A  great  weight  was  lifted  from  my  heart  —  I  had  not  wanted 
to  surrender  our  dearly-won  booty  so  tamely,  but  the  burden 
of  the  suffering,  perhaps  the  lives  of  my  friends,  had  been 
greater  than  I  could  bear.  Now  we  decided  unanimously  that 
I  should  tell  La  Force  that  we  refused  to  reveal  the  hiding 
place  of  the  chest,  but  we  also  agreed  that  should  he  proceed, 
or  the  savages  under  his  direction,  to  torture  us,  we  would 
make  a  virtue  of  necessity  and  give  it  up. 

There  was  a  little  flicker  of  the  eyelash  when  I  told  La  Force 
our  decision  that  I  could  not  easily  interpret.  I  had  seen  it 
before,  at  critical  moments,  but  whether  it  meant  satisfaction 
or  disappointment  I  could  not  be  sure.  Aside  from  that  flicker 
his  face  was  impassive. 

"  Very  well,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  said  gravely,  "  I  shall  do  my 
best  to  protect  you  from  the  ingenious  tortures  of  the  savages, 
but  I  cannot  promise  that  I  will  be  successful.  They  will  be 
very  greatly  incensed  when  I  convey  to  them  your  decision, 
and  I  cannot  answer  for  their  manner  of  taking  it,  I  think  for 
the  present  I  shall  defer  telling  them.  It  would  have  been 
desirable,  of  course,  that  we  should  have  found  the  chest  before 
setting  out  on  our  journey,  but  we  shall  not  give  up  hope  of 
your  being  persuaded  to  tell  us  later,  and  a  party  of  warriors 


THERE  'S  MANY  A  SLIP  315 

can  always  be  sent  back  after  it.  We  have  only  been  delaying 
for  your  decision  to  begin  our  march;  breakfast  is  awaiting 
you  at  the  Iroquois  camp  and,  if  you  please,  we  will  hasten 
thither." 

And  in  fact  whereas,  up  to  this  time,  there  had  seemed  to  be 
a  policy  of  delay,  now  all  was  hurry  and  bustle.  In  our  con 
ference  we  had  wondered  what  would  be  done  with  us  when 
our  refusal  was  announced  (for  we  declined  to  believe  in  the 
torture)  ;  would  they  carry  us  off  with  them  or  leave  us  behind? 
And  almost  more  we  wondered  what  would  become  of  our 
horses.  It  would  break  my  heart  to  lose  Saladin,  not  to  return 
him  safe  and  sound  to  his  owners,  nor  did  I  believe  any  savage 
would  be  able  to  ride  him.  We  were  soon  to  have  an  answer  to 
our  questions. 

"You  have  two  horses,  Sir  Lionel,"  Mr.  La  Force  continued 
in  his  soft  tones,  "  which  the  Indians  dare  not  touch.  Every  time 
anyone  has  come  near  your  horse  it  has  so  reared,  pawed  and 
snorted,  and  so  viciously  flung  out  its  heels  that  I  think  my 
friends  believe  it  possessed  of  devils.  They  beg,  therefore, 
that  you  will,  for  the  present  at  least,  ride  him  yourself. 
There  is  also  a  little  Indian  pony  that  is  not  much  better. 
Twice  has  the  bravest  Indian  warrior  mounted  him  only  to  be 
flung  over  his  head.  I  fear  my  friends  are  not  skilled  in  horse 
manship  and  I  think  they  would  be  quite  willing  that  the  owner 
of  the  Indian  pony  should  ride  it  also.  Your  other  horses  they 
have  found  tamer  and  some  of  the  chiefs  have  appropriated 
them  to  themselves." 

All  of  this  was  said  with  a  sardonic  smile  that  drove  me 
wild.  Oh,  for  my  sword  in  my  hand  and  a  clear  field  to  try 
issues  with  La  Force  at  the  sword's  point!  So  Cooper  and  I 
were  to  ride,  and  Irving,  Ogden,  and  Kemble  were  to  go  afoot. 
Well  the  villain  knew  this  would  be  harder  for  me  to  bear  than 
to  go  afoot  myself  and  see  my  friends  ride.  We  were  to  begin 
our  march  at  once,  La  Force  had  said.  How  was  the  frail 
Irving  to  endure  it  ?  Ogden  and  Kemble  might,  but  I  was  quite 
sure  Irving  would  fall  by  the  way.  Nor  could  I  see  any  help 


316  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

for  it,  for  even  should  the  Indians  give  their  permission  to  the 
exchange  I  was  very  sure  Saladin  would  not  allow  Irving  on 
his  back. 

"  Do  you  hear,  Jonathan  ?  "  I  called  to  him,  where  he  sat  a 
few  yards  away.  "  Your  horse  has  been  taken  by  one  of  the 
chiefs.  Will  you  ride  Saladin  ?  " 

"  Will  I  ride  his  Satanic  Majesty  ? "  Irving  answered,  ap 
parently  not  a  whit  dismayed  by  the  tidings.  "  No,  I  thank 
you.  I  believe  I  still  have  some  regard  left  for  life  and  limb." 

I  think  he  read  my  distress  in  my  face,  for  he  added  quickly 
and  more  seriously  than  I  had  often  heard  him  speak : 

"Do  not  worry  about  me,  Sir  Lionel.  You  will  find  I  am 
as  tough  as  a  pine  knot.  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  in  the 
world  that  I  can  out-walk  any  two  Indians." 

Our  camp  was  a  little  distance  further  south  than  the  Iro- 
quois  camp  and  between  it  and  the  place  where  we  had  found 
the  wagon.  As,  still  under  guard,  we  started  for  our  horses 
the  wagon  passed  us  going  toward  the  camp  drawn  by  its  one 
black  and  one  white  horse.  What  seemed  a  little  strange  to 
me,  was  that  it  was  piled  high  with  the  branches  of  trees,  but 
knowing  that  the  Indians  used  these  for  making  their  huts, 
I  supposed  that  since  the  wagon  was  no  longer  used  to,  convey 
the  chest,  they  were  making  use  of  it  to  carry  the  branches  from 
one  camp  to  another  and  so  save  the  trouble  of  cutting  them 
each  night. 

As  I  said,  all  now  was  hurry  and  bustle.  But  scant  time 
was  allowed  for  breakfast,  and  the  sun  was  not  yet  risen  when 
we  were  well  on  the  march.  I  had  begged  La  Force  to  permit 
my  three  friends  to  ride  in  the  wagon,  since  without  that 
heavy  chest  the  burden  for  the  horses  would  be  light,  but  this 
he  absolutely  refused,  and  I  had  the  pain  of  feeling  myself  at 
ease  on  my  beautiful  Saladin  and  Ogden,  Irving,  and  Kemble 
trudging  wearily  along  afoot. 

Not  that  one  would  guess  from  the  manner  of  either  of  them 
that  there  was  anything  painful  or  enforced  or  uncomfortable 
about  this  walk  they  were  taking  through  the  glorious  October 
weather,  a  frosty  tang  in  the  air  that  set  the  blood  aleaping  in 


THERE  'S  MANY  A  SLIP  317 

the  veins,  and  hills  and  lake  and  forest  a  glorious  blaze  of 
color.  When,  as  occasionally  happened,  they  came  within  hail 
ing  distance  of  either  Cooper  or  me,  they  saluted  us  with 
all  manner  of  good-natured  jibes  and  friendly  scoffing.  We 
were  everyone  of  us  closely  guarded,  but  our  guards  spoke 
and  understood  no  English  and  so,  sometimes,  under  cover  of 
scoffing,  we  were  able  to  interchange  small  items  of  information 
or  propose  to  each  other  plans  of  escape  that  were  only  half  in 
jest. 

The  three  came  up  with  us  about  noon,  where  on  the  banks 
of  a  small  stream  we  had  halted  to  let  our  horses  drink.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  Irving  looked  pale  and  worn  with  his  long 
morning's  tramp,  and  I  puzzled  my  brains  in  vain  to  find  some 
way  of  securing  a  ride  for  him. 

"  Irving,"  I  said,  "  as  soon  as  I  get  hold  of  La  Force  —  he 
is  keeping  out  of  our  way  purposely,  I  believe  —  I  am  going  to 
get  permission  for  you  to  ride  Saladin.  I  would  make  the 
change  now,  but  at  the  slightest  movement  of  the  kind  on  the 
part  of  either  of  us  we  would  each  have  a  bullet  through  us." 

"  Not  for  worlds !  "  he  exclaimed  in  pretended  horror.  "  You 
know  my  opinion  of  Saladin." 

"  But  I  shall  walk  at  his  head  and  keep  him  quiet  with  my 
voice." 

"  Oh,  don't  worry,  Green," —  one  would  have  thought  from 
his  tone  and  manner  he  was  scornfully  deriding  me,  but  that 
was  for  the  benefit  of  our  guards  — "  you  have  me  to  thank  for 
keeping  the  whole  line  of  march  back  this  morning,  and  they 
will  be  delayed,  I  promise  you,  even  more  this  afternoon.  At 
this  rate  Lloyd  and  his  rescuing  party  can  easily  overtake  us." 

I  had  noticed  our  slow  progress  and  our  frequent  stoppings 
with  delight,  but  I  had  no  idea  that  Irving  was  at  the  bottom 
of  it. 

"  How  have  you  managed  it  ?  "  I  asked  wonderingly. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  some  other  time,"  he  answered,  laughing  at 
my  look  of  bewilderment.  "  Look  here,  Green,  what  will  you 
say  if  before  night  I  am  luxuriously  riding  in  that  wagon 
yonder." 


318  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Say !  "  I  echoed,  "  That  you  are  either  devil  or  angel,  and 
sometimes  I  think  you  are  both ! " 

"You're  right,  Green;  he's  both,"  Ogden  shouted,  "but  I'll 
tell  you  what,  if  he  's  not  riding  in  that  wagon  before  night, 
he  '11  be  riding  on  my  shoulders  —  this  is  entirely  too  much  for 
the  little  fellow." 

At  that  Irving  grew  furiously  angry,  or  pretended  to.  He 
never  liked  to  be  considered  a  weakling,  and  now  he  declared  he 
could  walk  as  far  as  any  of  us  and  feel  it  no  more;  that  if  he 
rode  in  the  wagon  it  would  be  for  the  fun  of  outwitting  La 
Force,  and  not  because  he  needed  to. 

Whereupon  our  guards  gave  us  to  understand  it  was  time  to 
be  moving  on,  and  I  saw  no  more  of  either  Ogden,  Irving,  or 
Kemble  until  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  for,  try  as  I  might, 
I  could  not  keep  Saladin  down  to  the  slow  pace  of  the  motley 
throng  of  squaws,  children,  burden-bearers  and  decrepit  old 
men ;  and  my  guards  —  I  had  two  of  them  —  were  kept  on  a 
dog  trot  to  keep  up  with  his  prancing  and  dancing  walk,  the 
slowest  pace  he  knew  how  to  take. 

But  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  my  guards  signaled  to 
me  to  halt  my  spirited  horse,  both  that  they  might  get  a  little 
rest  and  that  the  main  line  might  catch  up  with  us.  We  were 
some  distance  ahead  of  the  motley  throng,  in  the  very  van  of 
which  was  the  wagon  drawn  by  the  black  horse  and  the  white 
one.  To  my  amazement  as  the  wagon  came  abreast  of  us,  there 
lay  Irving  comfortably  at  ease  on  the  branches,  looking  pale,  I 
thought,  but  giving  me  a  triumphant  wink  as  the  wagon  stopped 
beside  me. 

"  Well  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  stepped  on  a  loose  stone  and  sprained  my  ankle,"  he 
answered  soberly.  "  It  was  impossible  for  me  to  walk  a  step, 
and  two  of  my  Iroquois  friends  carried  me  for  a  quarter  of  a 
mile.  I  'm  not  very  heavy,  fortunately,  but  a  dead  weight  of  a 
hundred  and  fifteen  pounds  sometimes  seems  heavier  than  a 
live  one  of  a  hundred  and  fifty,  and  I  was  a  very  dead  weight. 
They  were  glad  to  put  me  in  the  wagon  as  soon  as  they  could." 

"  Has  your  ankle  been  dressed  ?  "  I  asked  as  soberly  as  he. 


THERE'S  MANY  A  SLIP  319 

"  Yes,  Ogden  dressed  it ;  he  's  quite  a  skillful  surgeon.  I 
should  n't  wonder  if  the  swelling  would  be  all  gone  by  to-night 
or  to-morrow." 

Of  course  I  supposed  he  was  shamming,  but  I  could  not  be 
quite  sure  of  it  and  I  felt  some  concern.  One  thing  I  noticed, 
that  since  Irving  rode  in  the  wagon  we  made  much  better 
progress.  There  were  no  more  delays  and  stoppages  and  I 
think  by  the  time  night  fell  and  we  were  ready  for  camp,  we 
must  have  made  fully  twenty  or  thirty  miles.  It  was  won 
derful  that  the  little  children  could  walk  so  far,  but  I  noticed 
the  mothers  often  carrying  them  pick-a-back  (never  the  fathers) 
and  so  resting  their  tired  little  legs.  How  the  women  bore 
it  was  still  more  incomprehensible  to  me,  for  they  carried 
all  the  camp  equipage,  except  what  was  carried  in  the  wagon, 
besides  their  papooses  and  younger  children.  The  men  carried 
nothing  but  their  rifles,  with  a  glittering  tomahawk  and  scalp- 
ing-knife  in  the  belt. 

Our  way  had  been  through  a  beautiful  country  and  much 
of  it  apparently  well  settled,  though  as  far  as  was  possible  we 
kept  in  the  woods.  Cooper  said  it  was  evident  from  our  direc 
tion  that  we,  were  making  straight  for  Canada  by  way  of  the 
Adirondack  forests  and  mountains.  So  beautiful  was  the  coun 
try  through  which  we  rode  I  could  have  enjoyed  it  vastly  had 
it  been  a  pleasure  jaunt  we  were  taking,  but  as  it  was,  with 
the  uncertainty  of  our  fate  before  us,  and  the  certainty,  to  my 
mind,  that  Irving  never  could  endure  the  long  tramp  to  Can 
ada  (nor  did  I  believe  he  could  succeed  in  keeping  up  his  ruse 
of  a  sprained  ankle  for  any  great  length  of  time)  it  was  a 
gloomy  ride  indeed,  and  I  welcomed  the  approach  of  the  camp 
ing  hour,  feeling  that,  at  least  for  a  few  hours,  we  would  not 
be  hastening  farther  and  farther  from  all  hopes  of  succor. 
Even  if  Lloyd  should  succeed  in  organizing  a  party  of  rescue,  I 
had  no  hope  of  his  accomplishing  this  for  some  days,  and  if 
we  made  as  good  progress  every  day  as  we  had  made  the  first  day 
of  our  march,  we  might  easily  be  over  the  Canadian  border  and 
beyond  the  hope  of  rescue  before  he  could  reach  us. 

What  happened  that  first  night  still   seems   to   me   as   in- 


320  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

credible,  as  supernatural,  almost,  as  it  seemed  to  me  then. 
Lying  on  the  bare  ground,  a  blanket  for  our  bed,  our  saddle 
bags  for  pillows,  the  leafy  canopy  of  the  forest  for  our  tent, 
in  a  circle  about  us  a  double  row  of  guards  sleeping  on  their 
rifles,  knives  and  tomahawks  ready  to  their  hands,  and  never 
a  sword  or  a  pistol  on  any  one  of  the  five  of  us,  I  would  have 
thought  only  an  angel  from  heaven  could  have  rescued  us. 
And  very  nearly  an  angel  from  heaven  has  Lloyd  always  seemed 
to  me  since. 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  whispered  Cooper,  close  in  my  ear,  "  if  we 
are  to  make  any  attempt  at  escape  to-night  is  our  best  chance." 

"  Why  do  you  think  so  ?  "  I  whispered  back. 

"  I  overheard  a  conference  between  La  Force  and  the  chiefs. 
To-morrow  all  the  younger  braves  are  to  hurry  forward  with 
the  prisoners  to  the  Canadian  line,  leaving  the  women  and 
children  to  the  care  of  a  few  old  warriors.  Moreover,  since 
they  believe  it  is  too  soon  to  fear  any  pursuit,  and  the  guards 
are  to  have  a  hard  march  to-morrow,  they  are  to  be  allowed  to 
sleep  on  their  arms  to-night.  Shall  we  attempt  an  escape  ?  " 

"  How  do  they  dare  permit  them  to  sleep  on  their  arms  ?  " 

"  The  Iroquois  brave  is  a  light  sleeper  when  he  is  on  the 
war  path;  the  slightest  sound  will  rouse  him,  and  his  instruc 
tions  are  to  shoot  or  tomahawk  the  first  prisoner  who  makes  a 
suspicious  movement." 

Conveying  Cooper's  information  to  each  of  the  five  as  we  lay 
on  the  ground  together,  in  low  murmurs  we  discussed  the  ad 
visability  of  attempting  the  escape,  since  on  the  morrow  we 
were  to  be  hurried  out  of  reach  of  our  friends.  If  we  had  had 
our  pistols  or  our  swords  we  would  have  ventured  it,  but  after 
a  long  and  anxious  discussion  we  gave  it  up  as  too  hazardous, 
since  we  were  to  be  shot  at  the  first  suspicious  movement. 

The  matter  once  decided  we  rolled  ourselves  in  our  blankets 
and  I,  for  one,  was  deep  in  slumber  in  a  moment.  I  slept 
heavily  and  for  how  long  I  had  no  means  of  judging,  when  I 
was  roused  by  a  hand  over  my  mouth  and  a  muffled  voice  in  my 
ear :  "  Come !  Be  quick !  Not  a  sound !  " 

I  did  not  recognize  the  voice  and  I  was  not  sure  whether 


THERE  'S  MANY  A  SLIP  321 

it  was  a  summons  to  instant  execution  or  a  friendly  call  to 
flight,  but  I  did  not  hesitate  a  moment.  My  heart  pounding 
in  my  throat  I  was  on  my  feet  before  my  eyes  were  well  open. 

"  Stand  where  you  are  a  moment/'  the  voice  muttered  in 
my  ear,  and  rigid  as  one  of  the  pines  with  which  the  hills  about 
us  were  covered  I  stood  and  hardly  dared  to  breathe. 

I  think  I  had  never  seen  a  night  so  dark.  Whether  the 
moon  had  not  yet  risen,  or  whether  it  was  obscured  by  clouds, 
I  could  not  tell,  but  not  a  ray  of  light  from  any  source  pene 
trated  the  leafy  canopy  above  us.  I  thought  I  could  detect 
muffled  and  mysterious  sounds  all  about  me,  but  they  were  so 
slight  and  so  uncertain  I  could  not  be  sure  but  they  were  the 
creation  of  my  excited  fancy.  In  a  moment  my  left  hand  was 
seized  and  put  into  the  right  of  a  third  person  —  I  believed 
I  recognized  Irving's  slender  palm  and  clinging  fingers  — 
and  with  a  whispered,  "  Hold  fast  to  him !  "  my  free  right  hand 
was  once  more  grasped  by  this  mysterious  owner  of  the  voice 
and  I  was  drawn  gently  and  silently  forward,  pulling  Irving, 
and  I  believed,  in  a  linked  chain,  Ogden,  Kemble  and  Cooper 
after  me.  If  there  were  six  of  us  in  that  line,  surely  never  did 
six  men  tread  so  silently  before.  And  where  were  our  guards? 
We  did  not  stumble  over  them,  as  I  should  have  supposed  we 
would  in  the  dark,  and  there  was  no  sound  of  life  from  any  of 
them. 

It  seemed  a  long  time  to  me  that  we  were  thus  stealthily 
creeping  through  the  blackness,  with  infinite  slowness  and  with 
frequent  stoppings,  as  if  some  one  in  the  lead  halted  often  to 
make  sure  of  his  way.  Expecting  every  moment  that  the  camp 
would  be  aroused  and  the  savages  upon  us,  I  would  have  liked 
to  move  more  rapidly.  I  confess  there  was  not  a  step  of  the 
way  that  I  did  not  feel  a  bullet  between  my  shoulders  or  a 
tomahawk  cleaving  my  skull.  It  seemed  to  me  it  would  have 
been  wiser  to  run,  silently  as  possible,  but  at  top  speed,  in  any 
direction  away  from  the  camp,  and  not  to  stop  running  until  we 
felt  ourselves  at  a  safe  distance  where  we  might  lie  in  hiding 
until  the  morning. 

But  the  one  in  command  had  other  plans  and  I  was  not  sorry 
21 


322  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

when  I  suddenly  found  myself  descending  into  the  little  hollow 
or  glade  where  we  had  tethered  our  horses.  I  had  not  for  a 
moment  supposed  that  we  could  take  them  with  us ;  it  was  risk 
enough  to  get  ourselves  off  alive.  Now  as  I  felt  Saladin's 
warm  breath  in  my  face,  and  his  soft  nose  rubbing  my  cheek 
in  response  to  my  quiet  word  to  him,  it  seemed  to  me  that  all 
our  troubles  were  over.  To  be  sure,  we  had  left  our  saddles 
behind  us,  but  the  bridles  were  hanging  on  a  near-by  limb,  and 
in  a  moment  I  had  secured  them  and  handed  one  to  Cooper. 

"We  could  find  but  two  horses,"  the  mysterious  voice  whis 
pered  in  my  ear.  "  Where  are  the  others  ?  " 

"  On  the  other  side  of  the  camp  with  the  wagon  horses,"  I 
answered.  "  Ogden  shall  ride  with  me  and  Irving  with  Cooper. 
Can  you  take  Kemble  ?  " 

There  was  a  muttered  response  of  "  All  right "  and  it  was 
but  the  work  of  a  moment  to  adjust  our  bridles  and  mount  as 
I  had  suggested.  And  now,  my  eyes  having  grown  more 
accustomed  to  the  light,  or  the  moon  beginning  to  rise,  I  saw 
that  there  were  three  other  horsemen  besides  ourselves  silently 
leading  the  way  out  of  the  little  glade  into  the  woodland  road 
by  which  we  had  reached  our  camp;  two  were  Huron  braves 
and  one,  as  I  had  been  very  sure  from  the  first,  was  Lloyd  on 
Bourbon. 

Silently,  without  a  word,  and  slowly,  that  our  horses  might 
make  no  noise,  we  rode  for  more  than  a  mile,  and  it  was  the 
most  irksome  ride,  the  most  interminable  mile,  that  I  have 
ever  ridden.  Suddenly,  coming  upon  an  open  bit  of  road,  those 
in  the  lead  put  spurs  to  their  horses,  and  Saladin  and  Bourbon 
and  Natty  Bumpo  —  for  so  Cooper  called  his  little  Indian  pony 
after  the  old  trapper  he  had  loved  as  a  lad  —  needed  no  spurs 
as  they  dashed  madly  after  them. 

Oh,  that  glorious  ride  through  the  cool  night  air  tingling 
with  frost!  Free!  Neither  fear  of  torture  nor  sudden  bullet, 
nor  gleaming  tomahawk!  I  did  not  realize  how  despair  had 
settled  down  upon  me  like  a  leaden  pall,  until  I  felt  the  keen  ela 
tion  of  the  lifted  load,  the  exquisite  joy  of  life  and  hope  renewed. 
The  ringing  of  hoofs  on  the  rocky  road  was  the  sweetest 


THEKE'S  MANY  A  SLIP  323 

music  that  had  ever  ravished  my  ears.  Not  a  word  was  spoken 
through  that  mad  ride,  nor  did  we  draw  rein  until  we  had  put 
nearly  half  the  distance  back  to  the  Huron  camp  between  us  and 
the  Iroquois.  Then  we  pulled  up  to  breathe  our  horses,  though 
neither  Bourbon  nor  Saladin  seemed  to  have  felt  their  mad 
pace  or  their  double  burden. 

Not  until,  at  a  signal  from  the  leader,  we  had  drawn  up  by 
the  roadside  had  I  exchanged  a  word  with  Lloyd.  Then  he 
rode  up  by  my  side  and  no  brother's  grasp  of  my  hand  could 
have  been  closer  or  warmer. 

"  But  how  did  you  manage  it  ?  "  I  asked,  and  we  gathered 
close  around  him  to  hear  his  story,  after  we  had  expressed  our 
thanks  to  the  two  Huron  braves,  who  stood  silently  by  utter 
ing  an  occasional  "  Ugh ! "  of  appreciation  as  Lloyd  told  his 
tale. 

"  If  it  had  not  been  for  these  young  braves  I  could  never 
have  managed  it,"  he  began.  "  My  first  thought  was  to  get 
a  company  of  soldiers  from  the  nearest  post  and  in  a  pitched 
battle  with  the  Iroquois  recapture  you.  But  the  Hurons  as 
sured  me  that  the  nearest  post  was  so  distant  that  the  Iroquois 
would  be  over  the  border  before  we  could  possibly  overtake  them. 
Then  I  asked  if  their  tribe  would  be  willing  to  go  on  the  war 
path,  but  they  were  very  sure  their  chief  would  never  listen 
to  it;  the  Hurons  had  no  quarrel  with  the  Iroquois  just  now; 
the  wampum  belt  was  stretched  between  the  tribes.  But  they 
said  they  could  manage  to  get  you  off.  They  had  followed  the 
Iroquois  trail  for  a  little  distance  in  the  early  morning  and 
they  had  seen  who  were  guarding  the  prisoners.  Two  of  them 
were  well  known  to  the  young  Hurons  —  they  had  often  smoked 
the  pipe  of  peace  together,  and  they  believed  that  they  could 
come  upon  them  in  the  night  and,  by  means  of  bribes,  persuade 
them  to  allow  their  prisoners  to  escape.  It  was  not  likely  they 
had  any  ill  feeling  toward  the  young  Palefaces,  only  the  '  Devil- 
eyes  '  had  probably  offered  them  gold.  They  were  sure  that 
a  little  gold,  a  little  firewater  and  a  little  tobacco  would  set  the 
prisoners  free. 

"  So  I  rode  back  to  Cooperstown,  secured  two  horses  for  the 


324  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Huron  braves  (and  by  the  way,  Cooper,  I  said  not  a  word  to 
your  family,  only  left  a  note  to  be  delivered  in  three  days  to 
your  father  if  we  were  not  heard  from  by  that  time),  and  be 
sides  the  horses  I  secured  three  big  flasks  of  whisky,  a  lot  of 
tobacco,  and  filled  my  pockets  with  gold  coins  by  changing  some 
notes  at  a  little  country  store.  You  made  very  slow  progress, 
for  you  had  many  hours  the  start  of  us,  and  we  came  up  with 
you  before  sunset,  or  so  nearly,  we  had  to  keep  back  out  of 
your  sight  in  the  woods." 

"  That  was  Irving,"  I  interrupted.  "  He  kept  back  the 
march,  under  one  pretext  and  another,  all  day  long.  His  last 
ruse  was  a  sprained  ankle.  By  the  way,  how  is  your  ankle, 
Irving  ?  " 

"  Fine,  thank  you.     Never  better,"  he  answered. 

"  We  have  Irving  to  thank,  then,"  said  Lloyd ;  "  for  by 
overtaking  you  so  early,  my  two  Hurons  were  able,  as  soon  as 
it  was  dark,  to  spy  out  the  land  in  their  noiseless  fashion.  They 
discovered  exactly  where  you  lay,  and  where  your  horses  were 
tethered,  and  had  bribed  your  guards  to  keep  quiet  when  they 
should  come  for  you.  I  have  no  doubt  the  guards  will  be  found 
out  and  punished,  but  at  present  they  are  probably  gloriously 
happy  in  secretly  passing  the  fire-water  from  one  to  the  other, 
jingling  their  gold  coins  and  fingering  their  tobacco.  It  was 
necessary  to  wait  until  the  camp  was  well  asleep  before  we 
came  for  you,  and  so  it  was  nearly  midnight  when  I  roused 
you." 

"  Lloyd,"  I  said  earnestly,  "  I  can  never  be  sufficiently  thank 
ful  that  you  were  with  us  on  this  march.  I  would  never  have 
known  how  to  carry  through  such  an  enterprise  as  you  have 
done  it." 

"  It  does  seem  rather  providential  that  one  of  us  was 
able  to  escape,"  he  answered  modestly,  "  but  anyone  else  would 
have  done  as  well  as  I;  it  is  to  the  brave  Hurons  the  credit  be 
longs." 

Whereupon  we  thanked  the  young  Hurons  again,  and  each 
of  us  left  some  gold  coins  in  the  hand  we  grasped  in  friendship ; 
and  a  battered  old  moon  being  by  this  time  well  up  over  the 


THERE'S  MANY  A  SLIP  325 

crest  of  the  hills,  we  could  plainly  see  the  glitter  in  their  eyes, 
which  I  think  is  an  Indian's  nearest  approach  to  a  smile. 

We  bade  the  Hurons  good-by  as  we  drew  near  their  camp, 
and  since  they  had  no  longer  any  need  of  their  horses,  they 
were  handed  over  to  Ogden  and  Kemble,  and  I  took  Irving  up 
with  me  to  relieve  the  little  pony,  and  the  day  brightening 
rapidly  to  dawn  and  sunrise,  we  rode  on  to  Cooperstown.  It 
proved  to  be  a  little  village,  beautiful  for  situation,  nestling 
among  high  hills  at  the  foot  of  the  lake.  The  village  itself 
was  principally  built  on  both  sides  of  a  broad  street  running 
back  from  the  lake  to  a  lofty  fir-crowned  hill,  many  of  the 
houses  making  some  pretense  to  architectural  beauty,  many  of 
them,  of  course,  as  is  bound  to  be  in  so  new  a  village,  not 
twenty  years  old,  rude  and  plain  and  ugly. 

At  the  head  of  the  street,  just  below  the  dark-browed  hill, 
was  the  home  of  Cooper.  It  was  somewhat  after  the  style  of 
a  manor-house  in  my  own  country,  of  generous  dimensions  and 
•of  many  styles  of  architecture.  A  rustic  bridge,  crossing  a 
sparkling  mountain  stream,  gave  entrance  to  the  grounds 
where  stately  trees,  the  elm,  the  maple,  and  the  poplar  (of 
which  I  had  seen  so  many  in  New  York  and  which  I  under 
stood  had  lately  been  imported  into  the  country)  were  scattered 
over  the  wide  lawns,  and  with  their  scarlet  and  gold  against 
the  dark  background  of  the  fir-clad  hill  made  a  brilliant  setting 
for  the  mansion.  We  had  all  the  cordial  welcome  and  generous 
entertainment  Cooper  had  led  us  to  expect,  and  since  we  had 
been  now  for  two  nights  without  sleep,  with  many  arduous 
days  and  nights  preceding,  we  were  glad  to  avail  ourselves  of 
the  pressing  invitation  to  remain  and  rest  ourselves  and  our 
horses.  Indeed,  had  we  not  been  so  eager  to  secure  our  treasure- 
chest  and  bear  it  back  in  triumph  to  Mayor  Livingston,  we 
could  have  enjoyed  much  longer  the  hospitality  so  cordially 
urged  upon  us  and  that  we  found  so  delightful. 

But  we  were  eager  to  finish  the  work  we  felt  was  so  well 
begun,  and  early  the  next  morning,  after  a  long  night  of  deep 
and  refreshing  slumber,  with  a  wagon  drawn  by  two  stout 
horses,  and  carrying  four  men  to  handle  the  chest  for  us,  we 


326  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

six,  men  and  horses  refreshed  in  body  and  spirit,  started  gayly 
up  the  lake.  We  took  a  road  this  time  on  the  eastern  side  and 
back  among  the  hills,  since  the  cliffs  rose  straight  from  the 
waters  on  this  eastern  shore,  and  as  we  rode  we  had  much  to 
say  of  our  experiences  of  the  last  few  days. 

"Well,  Sir  Lionel/'  Kemble  asked,  "has  the  new  world 
proved  what  you  expected  of  it  ?  Is  it  exciting  enough  ?  " 

"  More  so  than  I  expected/'  I  answered,  "  but  I  believe  I 
have  enjoyed  the  excitement,  now  it  is  all  over." 

"  I  '11  tell  you,  Green/'  said  Ogden,  "  I  'm  going  to  write 
your  father  a  certificate  when  I  get  back  to  New  York,  that 
the  masterly  manner  in  which  you  have  conducted  this  expedi 
tion,  restoring  the  city's  money  to  its  coffers  and  bringing  back 
your  company  in  safety,  qualifies  you  for  the  command  of  any 
expedition  against  Bonaparte." 

"  Wait  till  the  money  is  safe  in  the  city's  coffers,"  I  answered 
laughingly.  "  '  There 's  many  a  slip/  you  know." 

"Yes,"  said  Irving  soberly,  "and  I  want  to  tell  you  some 
thing,  Sir  Lionel,  that  has  been  haunting  me  ever  since  I. 
sprained  my  ankle  and  rode  in  the  wagon." 

"  Speak  on,  Jonathan,"  I  encouraged  him,  expecting  nothing 
more  than  one  of  his  usual  jests. 

"  I  can't  get  rid  of  the  impression,"  he  went  on,  still  soberly, 
"that  the  chest  was  in  that  wagon.  Certainly  when  the  wagon 
jolted  over  the  stones  it  jolted  as  if  it  was  loaded  with  some 
thing  much  heavier  than  light  branches,  and  I  almost  imagined 
I  could  feel  the  outlines  of  the  chest  beneath  the  boughs  as  I 
lay  on  them." 

We  all  jeered  at  his  suspicions,  but  I  believe  I  was  not  the 
only  one  who  felt  a  little  uneasiness,  and  I  was  glad  when  we 
came  to  our  old  camp  and  leaving  the  horses  with  Kemble, 
Ogden,  Irving  and  Cooper,  Lloyd  and  I  and  the  four  men  started 
on  our  climb  up  to  Natty  Bumpo's  cave. 

The  sun  was  shining  brilliantly,  but  the  cave  lay  in  shadow. 
As  it  came  in  view  we  all  peered  into  it  eagerly,  but  we  could 
see  nothing.  A  sort  of  vague  fear  held  us  back  for  a  moment 
from  entering,  then  I  stepped  forward. 


THERE'S  MANY  A  SLIP  327 

"  Come  on,"  I  said  to  Lloyd,  and  stooping  down,  side  by 
side,  we  two  passed  under  the  low  entrance  arch.  We  were 
blinded  for  a  moment  by  coming  into  the  dark  from  the  bril 
liant  sunshine,  and  we  could  see  nothing,  but  with  extended 
hands  we  groped  our  way  to  the  back  of  the  cave  where  we  had 
left  the  chest. 

"Lloyd/'  I  said,  and  I  almost  pitied  the  sound  of  my  own 
voice,  it  was  so  dull  and  lifeless,  like  one  lost  in  despair,  "  Lloyd, 
it  is  all  to  do  over  again !  This  is  what  their  delay  in  starting 
meant.  They  waited  to  get  the  chest  back  in  their  wagon  and 
covered  with  branches,  before  they  were  ready  to  start." 

"  And  La  Force  watched  us  toiling  up  the  hill  with  that 
heavy  chest  and  was  laughing  at  us  all  the  time,"  said  Lloyd, 
and  his  voice  was  the  restrained  voice  of  a  very  angry  man 
striving  to  keep  calm. 

It  was  long  years  after,  on  the  field  of  Waterloo,  that  I 
came  face  to  face  with  La  Force  again,  for  the  last  time.  But 
his  face  was  upturned  to  the  stars,  and  there  was  no  light  in  the 
white-rimmed,  black-lashed  eyes.  He  had  died  for  his  emperor, 
and  gallantly,  for  he  lay  in  that  dreadful  trench,  the  sunken 
road  of  Obain  on  Mount  St.  Jean,  where  the  flower  of  the  Old 
Guard  laid  down  their  lives. 

"  He  was  no  coward,"  I  murmured  to  myself.  "  Multum 
peccavit;  requiescat  in  pace!  And  may  God  have  mercy  on  his 
soul!" 


XXVI 

BEHIND  A    CLOSED   DOOR 

I  HAD  no  thought,  at  first,  but  that  I  would  at  once  get  to 
gether  a  company  of  men,  follow  the  Iroquois  and  re 
capture  the  treasure.  And  I  think  this  time  I  would  have  had 
no  scruples  about  La  Force.  With  the  greatest  pleasure  in  life 
I  would  carry  him  back  to  occupy  my  cell  in  the  Bridewell,  and 
I  did  not  believe  even  Miss  Desloge  would  blame  me  for  my 
lack  of  mercy. 

But  I  was  dissuaded  from  my  purpose  by  the  other  five.  The 
Iroquois  had  the  start  of  us  by  the  day  and  night  we  had  spent 
at  Cooper's  house,  and  by  our  own  night's  flight  in  the  opposite 
direction,  and  it  was  not  probable  that  they  would  be  in  any 
the  less  haste  to  hurry  the  treasure-chest  over  the  border,  now 
that  they  knew  we  must  have  discovered  it  was  in  their  posses 
sion.  Moreover,  there  was  no  way  of  getting  together  a  com 
pany  of  men  fit  to  attack  so  warlike  a  tribe  as  the  Iroquois. 
If  a  military  post  had  been  within  reach  that  would  furnish 
us  trained  soldiers,  it  would  be  worth  while  undertaking  it ;  but 
as  it  was,  every  one  of  my  friends  counseled  giving  up  the 
treasure  for  lost.  It  was  hard  to  bring  my  mind  to  giving  it 
up  finally,  and  I  am  afraid  my  reluctance  was  as  much  mortifi 
cation  at  the  thought  that  I  had  been  outwitted  by  La  Force 
as  sorrow  on  Mayor  Livingston's  account. 

We  decided  not  to  return  through  the  Shawangunk  Moun 
tains,  but  by  the  Mohawk  Valley  to  Albany  and  so  down  the 
Hudson.  Part  of  our  course  would  be  on  the  trail  of  the 
Iroquois  and  I  still  had  some  lingering  hopes  that  we  might 
overtake  them  and  by  some  lucky  chance  get  possession  once 
more  of  the  chest.  I  was  eager  to  be  on  our  way,  therefore, 
and  sending  back  the  four  men  with  the  wagon,  we  continued 

328 


BEHIND  A  CLOSED  DOOR  329 

on  our  northward  course,  diverging  somewhat  to  the  east,  and 
by  noon  we  had  reached  Cherry  Valley,  a  picturesque  little 
village  which  Lloyd  said  had  been  the  scene  of  one  of  the 
terrible  Indian  massacres  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 
Lloyd  also  told  us  that  it  was  in  the  woods  just  back  of  this 
village  that  he  and  his  Hurons  had  rescued  us  from  the  Iro- 
quois.  If  we  had  covered  as  much  distance  in  the  few  morn 
ing  hours  as  it  had  taken  the  Iroquois  all  day  to  march,  I  had 
good  hopes  of  overtaking  them  —  though  what  we  six  men 
could  do  against  the  whole  tribe  I  was  not  ready  to  decide  — 
and  so,  allowing  the  scantiest  time  for  refreshment  of  man 
and  beast,  I  gave  the  order  for  the  forward  march. 

By  night  we  had  reached  the  beautiful  Mohawk  river  and 
spent  the  night  at  an  inn  in  a  little  village  on  its  bank.  Every 
where  along  our  route  we  inquired  for  the  Iroquois.  They  had 
avoided  the  settlements,  as  was  natural,  but  always  we  came 
upon  some  farmer  lad,  or  village  urchin,  who  had  been  playing 
truant  from  school,  and  had  watched  from  a  safe  distance  the 
passing  of  the  Indians.  We  soon  learned,  also,  that  they  had 
followed  the  plan  Cooper  had  overheard  them  discussing  —  the 
young  warriors,  with  a  wagon  and  horses,  were  in  advance, 
the  women,  children  and  old  men  in  the  rear  —  and  the  first 
party  was  six  hours  in  advance  by  the  time  they  had  reached 
the  forests  back  of  Canajoharie,  the  village  where  we  spent  our 
first  night. 

We  were  in  the  saddle  next  morning  at  the  earliest  dawn, 
following  the  river  eastward,  as  far  as  Amsterdam,  a  quaint 
little  Dutch  village,  where  we  spent  the  night  and  where  we 
learned  the  braves  with  the  treasure-chest  were  fifteen  hours  in 
advance  of  the  women  and  children  when  they  crossed  the 
river  at  this  point;  they  were  moving  with  incredible  speed 
for  men  on  foot. 

We  followed  them  across  the  river  the  next  morning  before 
daylight  and  pushing  on  as  rapidly  as  we  dared,  out  of  con 
sideration  for  our  hard-worked  horses,  we  reached  Saratoga 
Springs  before  night.  There  we  were  compelled  to  give  up  the 
pursuit.  We  had  gained  a  little  on  them,  but  it  was  fully  thirty 


330  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

hours  since  the  advance  party  had  passed  through  the  Saratoga 
forests  and  they  were  now  well  in  the  network  of  mountains 
and  lakes  to  the  north,  where  no  party  of  white  men  could 
follow  them  with  safety,  since  there  were  such  opportunities 
for  ambuscade  —  a  method  of  warfare  the  Indians  excel  in  — 
and  such  necessity  of  navigation  and  portage,  with  no  chance 
of  securing  food  for  man  or  beast,  as  would  make  the  diffi 
culties  insurmountable  for  a  party  like  ours  entirely  unequipped 
for  such  a  journey. 

Since  we  were  compelled  to  relinquish  the  idea  of  pursuit 
there  was  no  longer  any  reason  for  hurry  and  we  settled  down 
for  a  day's  rest  in  the  pretty  little  resort.  Irving  told  me  that 
it  was  as  gay,  in  its  way,  as  Bath  or  Tunbridge  Wells  in  the 
season,  that  the  Hamiltons,  the  DeLanceys,  the  Van  Eensselaers, 
the  Schuylers,  the  Livingstons,  all  the  elite  of  New  York  and 
the  Hudson,  came  there  each  season  to  drink  the  waters  for  a 
few  weeks.  It  seemed  to  me  so  in  the  heart  of  the  wilderness, 
for  we  had  ridden  through  many  miles  of  forest  to  reach  it, 
that  I  could  hardly  credit  his  tale,  yet  after  we  had  rested  a 
day  and  drunk  the  nauseous  waters  from  every  well,  and  walked 
out  in  the  late  afternoon  to  view  the  battle-ground  and  the 
ruins  of  General  Schuyler's  fine  villa,  burned  by  Burgoyne, 
and  spent  a  second  night  in  such  slumber  as  one  only  knows  in 
these  high  altitudes  and  in  an  air  fragrant  with  balsam  and 
fir,  I  found  we  were  not  so  far  in  the  wilderness  as  I  supposed. 
A  short  day's  ride  brought  us  to  Albany,  and  meeting  General 
Schuyler  on  the  streets  he  haled  us  off  to  his  hospitable  house, 
as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  course  that  he  should  entertain  Kem- 
ble  and  Ogden,  who  were  old  acquaintances,  and  any  friends 
of  theirs  they  might  happen  to  have  with  them. 

When  he  found  I  was  the  "  criminal "  in  the  Livingston  case, 
a  full  account  of  which  he  had  had  from  the  letters  of  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Hamilton,  and  from  the  New  York  papers,  he 
was  full  of  the  liveliest  interest  in  the  case,  and  in  our  expedi 
tion  in  pursuit  of  La  Force.  He  would  have  sent  us  down 
the  river  in  his  sloop,  if  we  would  have  let  him,  as  much,  I 
believe,  to  prove  his  indignation  against  La  Force  as  his  friend- 


BEHIND  A  CLOSED  DOOR  331 

liness  for  us.  Since  he  could  do  nothing  more  for  us  than 
give  us  supper  and  breakfast  and  a  night's  lodging,  he  did  it 
with  a  courtliness  that  I  liked  exceedingly.  If  the  fine  old 
soldier  had  been  a  great  duke  in  my  own  land,  he  could  not 
have  worn  a  grander  manner  nor  shown  us  a  more  princely 
hospitality. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  just  two  weeks  as  I  said,  from 
the  day  we  left  New  York  when  we  rode  up  under  the  Clermont 
maples.  It  was  Kemble  who  insisted  we  should  stop  there; 
I  think  I  would  rather  not,  since  I  was  not  coming  back  a 
conquering  hero,  but  an  outwitted  simpleton  —  or  so  I  called 
myself.  Neither  was  I  at  all  sure  that  the  family  we  had  left 
in  New  York  had  returned  to  Clermont.  But  Kemble  insisted 
it  would  do  no  harm  to  stop  and  find  out.  If  they  were  not 
there  we  could  ride  back  to  the  thriving  little  city  of  Hudson 
and  spend  the  night,  but  if  they  were  at  home  they  would  be 
most  anxious  to  know  the  result  of  our  expedition  and  had  a 
right  to  the  first  news. 

The  day  was  soft  and  warm,  like  a  day  in  late  summer,  with 
a  purple  haze  veiling  the  distant  hills.  Irving  called  it  an 
Indian  summer  day,  though  Indian  summer  was  not  due,  he 
said,  until  November.  It  was  nothing  remarkable,  therefore, 
since  the  day  was  so  fine,  that  Miss  Livingston  and  her  uncle 
and  Miss  Desloge  should  be  seated  on  the  broad  veranda  over 
looking  the  river,  and  the  distant  Catskills.  Yet  as  I  caught 
sight  of  them  my  heart  pounded  like  a  trip-hammer,  as  if  no 
sight  in  the  world  could  have  been  more  sudden  or  unexpected. 
Moreover,  I  felt  myself  in  no  fit  trim  to  be  presented  to  ladies. 
Up  in  that  guest  chamber  on  the  second  landing,  that  had  been 
mine  before  I  went  down  to  New  York  on  my  fatal  visit,  I 
had  left  at  least  two  suits,  one  of  black  satin  and  one  of  fine 
blue  broadcloth,  and  a  whole  drawer  full  of  fresh  linen;  if  I 
could  only  slip  in  by  some  back  way  and  rearray  myself  before 
I  met  the  ladies !  But  there  was  no  chance  for  it ;  I  must  ride 
boldly  forward  with  the  others,  who  seemed  to  pay  no  thought 
to  their  travel-stained  appearance. 

When  we  first  came  in  sight  of  the  group  on  the  veranda 


332  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

they  were  so  absorbed  in  a  letter  Miss  Livingston  was  reading 
aloud  that  none  of  the  three  noticed  us  for  a  full  minute.  It 
was  Miss  Desloge  who  looked  up  first,  and  as  she  recognized  us 
she  sprang  to  her  feet  with  her  hands  clasped  tightly  to  her 
breast.  I  was  not  sure  whether  her  excitement  was  caused  by 
joy  at  our  return  in  safety,  or  by  fear  of  the  tidings  of  La 
Force  we  might  be  bringing.  The  other  two  saw  us  almost  as 
soon  as  Miss  Desloge  and  welcomed  us  with  waving  hands  and 
joyous  shouts;  they  evidently  felt  none  of  the  strain  under 
which  Miss  Desloge  seemed  to  be  laboring.  Yet  she  had  re 
covered  control  of  herself  by  the  time  we  rode  up  to  the  steps, 
and  had  a  pretty  word  of  welcome  for  each  one  of  us,  which 
if  not  so  heartily  or  so  noisily  cordial  as  Miss  Livingston's  I 
hoped  was  as  sincere. 

"  Did  you  get  the  money  ?  "  was  Miss  Livingston's  first  word 
after  the  welcomes  were  over,  and  almost  in  the  same  breath 
Mayor  Livingston  asked : 

"  Where  is  La  Force  ?  " 

"  Sir  Lionel  is  captain ;  ask  him,"  said  Irving. 

"We  have  come  back  empty-handed,  Mayor  Livingston,"  I 
said,  but  it  cost  me  an  effort  to  keep  a  firm  upper  lip,  and  no 
effort  could  keep  back  the  telltale  color.  "  It  is  a  long  story," 
I  added  quickly,  seeing  that  Mr.  Livingston  was  on  the  point 
of  saying  something  sympathetic.  "  Mr.  Irving  is  a  better 
story-teller  than  I ;  I  will  let  him  tell  it." 

"  Yes,  let  me  tell  it,  do,"  said  Irving,  with  an  eagerness  I 
understood  later.  But  Miss  Livingston  interrupted : 

"  It 's  almost  dinner  time,  Uncle  Edward,"  she  said, 
"  would  n't  it  be  better  to  defer  the  recital  till  then  ?  And  in 
the  meantime  can't  you  furnish  these  young  gentlemen  with 
some  dinner  toilets  ?  " 

Whereupon  the  mayor  carried  us  off  to  our  rooms  and  left  us 
to  make  ourselves,  fresh  and  comfortable  in  such  garments  as 
his  wardrobe  and  mine  afforded.  Ogden,  Cooper  and  Kemble 
managed  very  well  in  the  mayor's  clothes.  Irving,  being  just 
of  my  size,  donned  my  blue  broadcloth  with  a  buff  waistcoat, 
while  I  got  into  my  black  satins.  I  was  rather  glad  Irving 


BEHIND  A  CLOSED  DOOR  333 

chose  the  blue,  for  I  had  always  liked  my  black  satins,  and 
I  was  contemplating  myself  in  the  mirror  with  some  satis 
faction,  hoping  I  might  look  well  to  Mademoiselle,  when  Ogden 
spoiled  it  all.  He  also  had  been  admiring  himself  in  the  mirror 
when  turning  away  he  caught  sight  of  me. 

"  Ye  gods,  what  a  picture !  "  he  ejaculated.  "  Black  satin 
coat  and  small  clothes !  white  satin  waistcoat,  white  silk  stock 
ings  !  Cluny  lace  ruffles  and  tie !  chestnut  curls  and  shining 
gray  eyes !  Oh,  for  a  Kneller  or  Sir  Joshua !  Gentlemen, 
there  's  no  chance  for  the  rest  of  us !  " 

And  there  was  no  stopping  his  chaffing  until  I  threatened  to 
tear  off  my  black  satins,  jump  into  my  riding  breeches  and 
give  him  the  thrashing  of  his  life.  He  saw  I  was  in  earnest 
and  Ogden  was  too  good-natured  to  want  to  make  anyone  really 
angry,  so  he  let  up  with  an  apology  and  a  parting  shot : 

"I  meant  what  I  said,  you  know;  you  are  as  handsome  as  a 
picture." 

There  had  been  some  difficulty  in  finding  anything  big 
enough  for  Lloyd  to  wear,  but  he  finally  squeezed  into  an  old 
court  suit  of  Mr.  Robert  Livingston's,  very  gorgeous  indeed  if 
it  had  only  fitted  him.  But  nothing  could  ever  make  that  giant 
look  ridiculous,  and  with  wrist  ruffles  half  way  to  his  elbows, 
his  waist  line  a  good  inch  too  high,  and  every  shoulder  seam 
starting  with  the  strain  on  it,  the  white  satin  turned  to  deep 
ivory  with  age,  and  the  glittering  gold  lace  much  tarnished,  he 
still  looked  like  a  Greek  god,  and  I  was  sure  neither  Miss  Liv 
ingston  nor  Mademoiselle  would  have  a  glance  for  anyone  else 
when  he  was  by. 

We  had  spent  a  good  hour  over  our  toilets,  scrubbing  and 
brushing,  and  those  of  us  who  had  clothes  to  fit  helping  to 
cover  up  the  deficiencies  of  those  who  did  not,  so  that  the  sun 
had  set  as  we  came  down  the  broad  staircase  together,  three 
abreast,  and  found  the  ladies  and  Mr.  Livingston  waiting  for 
us  in  the  great  hall  brilliantly  lighted  with  wax  tapers.  The 
day  had  been  warm,  but  the  evening  was  turning  cool,  and  a 
fresh  fire  was  leaping  and  blazing  in  the  wide  chimney,  while 
through  glass  doors  we  saw  the  table  ready  set  for  dinner  in  the 


334  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

famous  orangery.  The  ladies  had  made  dinner  toilets  also.  I 
am  not  sure  that  they  had  spent  as  much  time  on  them  as  we 
men  had  spent,  but  one  was  dazzling  in  rich  brocade  and  spark 
ling  diamonds  and  flashing  black  eyes  and  glossy  curls  of  the 
hue  of  the  raven's  wing,  and  the  other  was  bewitching  in  pale 
rose  and  silver,  the  creamy  white  of  her  skin  just  tinted  with 
the  faintest  rose,  her  wonderful  hair  lying  in  soft  tendrils  on 
the  white  brow  and  clustering  in  rich  curls  about  the  snowy 
throat,  and  the  glorious  eyes  glowing  with  excitement. 

Miss  Livingston  made  us  a  stately  courtesy  as  we  drew  up 
in  a  semicircle  before  her. 

"  Your  servant,  my  lords  —  your  grandeur  overpowers  me. 
Would  that  I  had  six  fair  dames  to  properly  entertain  six 
knights  of  such  high  degree."  And  then  sharply  to  Miss  Des- 
loge,  before  any  one  of  us  had  time  to  respond,  "  See  Made 
moiselle,  that  you  do  your  best  to  make  yourself  charming  to 
these  gentlemen.  Sir  Lionel,  you  and  your  friend  shall  take 
me  out  to  dinner,  Mr.  Irving  and  Mr.  Cooper  may  look  after 
Miss  Desloge,  and  Mr.  Ogden  and  Mr.  Kemble  shall  play  staff 
officers  to  the  mayor." 

Neither  Kemble  nor  I  was  pleased  with  this  arrangement,  nor 
am  I  sure  that  anyone  was  greatly  delighted  except  Cooper  and 
Irving,  who  sprang  with  alacrity  to  offer  each  an  arm  to  Made 
moiselle.  I  had  hoped  I  might  sit  beside  her  and  perhaps  have 
an  occasional  word  with  her  that  no  other  ear  should  hear,  but 
very  likely  there  would  have  been  no  chance  for  that  even  had 
I  been  beside  her,  for  we  were  hardly  well  seated  before  Mayor 
Livingston  said,  "  And  now,  Irving,  for  your  tale,"  and  there 
was  no  other  topic  of  conversation  through  the  dinner;  all  of  us 
joining  in  at  times  to  correct  or  enlarge  on  some  point,  and 
Mayor  Livingston  and  the  ladies  asking  innumerable  ques 
tions. 

And  after  all  it  was  better  to  be  opposite  Mademoiselle  than 
beside  her  through  Irving's  tale;  every  swift  change  of  emotion 
was  mirrored  in  her  face  as  he  waxed  eloquent  in  the  telling. 
I  thought  he  made  our  adventures  a  little  more  thrilling  than 
they  really  were;  our  escapades  more  hairbreadth,  and,  what 


BEHIND  A  CLOSED  DOOE  335 

pleased  me  even  less,  he  made  me  the  hero  of  every  specially 
daring  venture,  the  skillful  contriver  of  every  successful  plan, 
the  wise  councilor  in  every  emergency.  It  irritated  me  no  little 
and  compelled  me  at  times  to  break  in  with  disclaimers  or  cor 
rections.  But  none  of  the  others  seemed  to  mind  —  they  were 
a  generous  lot  of  young  fellows;  I  believe  they  were  vying  with 
each  other  to  pile  up  the  credit  for  me  because  they  knew  there 
was  someone  present  in  whose  eyes  I  would  like  to  shine. 

I  sometimes  thought  I  caught  a  message  from  Mademoiselle's 
eyes  to  mine  — "  I  am  proud  of  you  "-  —  but  I  hardly  dared  be 
lieve  what  I  so  much  longed  to  believe.  Certainly  her  eyes  were 
beaming,  her  whole  countenance  was  glowing  with  interest  in 
Irving's  story.  There  were  times,  however,  when  he  spoke  of 
La  Force  —  and  Irving  did  not  spare  him ;  he  painted  his  false 
ness  and  his  cunning  in  the  strongest  colors  —  at  such  times 
Mademoiselle's  eyes  dropped,  a  painful  color  mounted  even  to 
the  waves  of  her  hair,  and  once  I  caught  a  sudden  quiver  of  her 
little  chin.  I  wished  Irving  would  let  La  Force  alone  or  gloss 
him  over  as  best  he  could.  But  Irving  did  not  seem  to  notice 
her  embarrassment  or  her  suffering  —  I  could  not  be  sure  which 
it  was  —  and  dilated  with  relish  on  La  Force's  baseness  and  the 
pleasure  it  would  be  to  any  one  of  us  to  some  day  give  him  his 
deserts. 

After  dinner,  around  the  crackling  hickory  logs  the  talk 
gradually  turned  to  other  topics.  Suddenly  Miss  Livingston 
spoke  up  sharply: 

"  Mademoiselle,  where  is  my  letter  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  Miss  Livingston,"  Miss  Desloge  answered 
timidly. 

"  I  must  have  dropped  it  in  the  excitement  of  the  arrivals. 
Go  out  on  the  veranda  and  look  for  it,"  she  ordered  curtly. 

Now  I  never  could  endure  that  way  Miss  Livingston  had  of 
speaking  to  Miss  Desloge  as  to  a  menial,  and  I  wondered  that 
a  high-spirited  young  woman,  such  as  Miss  Desloge  had  proved 
herself  to  be  on  more  than  one  occasion,  could  submit  to  it. 
Until  this  moment  I  had  seen  nothing  of  it  in  Miss  Livingston's 
manner  since  our  return,  and  I  had  been  hoping  she  had  re- 


336  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

formed  in  that  particular.     Now,  as  Miss  Desloge  rose  to  her 
feet  with  heightened  color,  I  too  sprang  to  my  feet. 

"  I  will  look  for  your  letter,  Miss  Livingston,"  I  said. 

I  had  not  intended  to  speak  haughtily,  but  her  bullying  man 
ner,  I  could  call  it  nothing  else,  to  Miss  Desloge,  irritated  me 
beyond  measure,  and  I  fear  that  is  the  way  my  words  sounded. 

"  As  you  please,"  said  Miss  Livingston  carelessly,  "  and  Made 
moiselle  may  go  also ;  two  pairs  of  eyes  will  be  better  than  one." 

Out  on  the  veranda  we  saw  the  letter  at  once  lying  on  the 
floor  by  the  chair  where  Miss  Livingston  had  been  sitting.  We 
both  stooped  to  get  it  at  the  same  moment  and  our  hands 
touched  on  the  letter.  Miss  Desloge  hastily  withdrew  hers  and 
sprang  aside,  for  our  faces  too  had  almost  touched.  But  I 
seized  her  hand  and  held  it  for  a  moment. 

"  Mademoiselle,"  I  said,  "  why  do  you  submit  to  be  spoken  to 
as  Miss  Livingston  speaks  to  you  ?  " 

She  did  not  draw  away  her  hand,  as  I  had  expected  her  to, 
and  I  felt  it  tremble  in  my  clasp  as  she  answered : 

"  Oh,  do  not  think  too  hardly  of  Miss  Livingston.  I  do  not 
believe  she  means  it  as  it  sounds;  at  heart  she  is  very  kind." 

"  I  do  not  believe  any  woman  with  a  kind  heart  could  so 
speak  to  a  —  a  —  dependent,"  I  stammered,  for  I  knew  not 
what  to  call  her  when  I  came  to  give  a  name  to  the  position 
she  held. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  a  habit  acquired  by  speaking  to  slaves  and 
she  is  not  conscious  of  it,"  said  Miss  Desloge  deprecatingly. 

"  That  is  just  it,"  I  returned  angrily.  "  She  treats  you  as 
a  slave,  and  I  will  not  stand  it.  I  will  not  stay  in  Miss  Living 
ston's  house  and  tamely  submit  to  seeing  you  so  insulted." 

"  Do  not  speak  so,"  Mademoiselle  begged.     "  I  am  sure  she 
intends  no  insult,  and  if  I  am  to  earn  my  bread  by  being  in 
the  position  I  am,  then  I  must  accept  some  things  that  are 
disagreeable." 
.  Her  words  only  roused  me  to  greater  indignation. 

"  Oh,  why  will  you  submit  to  it  ?  "  I  exclaimed.  "  Come 
with  me  to  the  Manse  in  the  little  village  of  Clermont  and 
give  me  the  right  to  protect  you  forever  from  such  insults." 


BEHIND  A  CLOSED  DOCK  337 

Not  until  then  did  she  take  away  her  hand.  She  drew  her 
self  up  proudly  as  she  spoke. 

"What!  without  your  father's  knowledge  or  consent? 
Never !  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  Miss  Desloge,"  I  said  earnestly,  "  I  believe  if  my  father 
knew  the  condition  of  affairs,  knew  to  what  you  are  subjected, 
he  would  be  the  first  to  think  I  had  acted  wrongly  if  I  had  not 
rescued  you  from  it.  Will  you  come  with  me  ?  " 

But  she  only  shook  her  head  sadly,  but  so  firmly,  any  argu 
ment  seemed  hopeless. 

"  You  say  you  will  not  marry  me  without  my  father's  con 
sent,"  I  said,  catching  at  a  straw ;  "  will  you  marry  me  if  I 
gain  it  ?  " 

But  she  shook  her  head  again. 

"  Do  not  ask  me  to  tell  you  again,  what  I  have  twice  told 
you  before,"  she  answered  gently.  "  And,  more,  when  I  marry 
I  will  be  married  in  my  own  country  and  in  my  own  church. 
I  will  not  marry  in  this  foreign  land." 

I  was  silent,  but  I  suppose  my  look  of  despair  touched  her 
heart. 

"You  must  not  think  I  suffer  so  greatly,  Sir  Lionel,"  she 
added,  looking  up  at  me  with  a  winning  look  of  pleading.  The 
light  streaming  through  the  hall  windows  made  the  veranda 
quite  light  and  suddenly  I  saw  that  twinkle  dance  into  her 
eyes,  as  she  went  on.  "  You  must  not  think  Miss  Livingston 
is  always  so  disagreeable  to  me;  she  is  often  very  nice,  and 
sometimes  I  think  it  is  only  when  you  are  present  that  she 
speaks  to  me  so  curtly." 

The  twinkle  could  have  but  one  interpretation:  Miss  Des 
loge  believed,  as  I  had  sometimes  believed,  that  Miss  Living 
ston  was  trying  to  discredit  her  in  my  eyes  that  she  might  have 
the  better  chance  to  win  my  favor  for  herself.  She  was  cer 
tainly  going  about  it  in  a  strange  way. 

I  was  terribly  embarrassed  by  Miss  Desloge's  speech;  I  could 
not  appear  to  understand  it,  and  I  hardly  knew  what  reply  to 
make. 

"  Miss  Desloge,"  I  said,  "  if  my  presence  adds  one  feather- 

22 


338  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

weight  to  the  load  of  ignominy  Miss  Livingston  heaps  upon 
you,  I  will  not  remain  another  day  under  her  roof.  I  will  see 
her  and  tell  her  so." 

"  Oh,  you  will  not  go  to-night,  I  hope,"  she  said  quickly. 

"  No,  I  will  wait  until  the  morning,"  I  answered,  "  when  I 
can  make  an  occasion  to  see  her  alone." 

"  And  you  will  not  make  a  scene  ?  "  she  entreated.  And  yet, 
somehow,  there  was  something  in  her  voice,  or  manner,  that 
made  me  feel  she  would  not  greatly  object  if  I  did  make  a  scene. 

"  I  will  not  promise,"  I  answered,  and  had  much  more  on 
my  tongue's  end  to  say,  but  at  some  slight  sound  from  the  hall, 
conveyed  to  our  ears  through  the  closed  doors,  Miss  Desloge 
started  guiltily  and  spoke  quickly: 

"  Oh,  how  long  we  have  been  out  here !  What  will  Miss 
Livingston  think !  Come,  we  must  go  in  at  once." 

As  we  entered  the  hall,  Miss  Desloge  ahead  and  bearing  the 
letter,  I  behind  trying  to  make  my  countenance  absolutely  im 
passive,  Miss  Livingston  spoke  up  sharply,  extending  her  hand 
for  the  letter  as  she  spoke : 

"Well,  here  you  are  at  last!  You  must  have  been  all  over 
the  manor  looking  for  that  letter.  The  wind  had  blown  it  away, 
I  suppose." 

And  giving  us  no  chance  to  assent  or  deny,  for  which  I  was 
devoutly  thankful  and  so,  I  suppose,  was  Mademoiselle,  she  be 
gan  at  once  to  read  it  aloud. 

It  was  from  her  father  in  Paris,  and  all  about  a  young  Mr. 
Fulton  with  whom  he  had  been  engaged  in  making  some  trials 
on  the  Seine  of  propelling  a  boat  by  steam.  The  last  trial  had 
been  successful,  and  Mr.  Livingston  was  extremely  enthusiastic 
over  it/  He  was  going  to  bring  Mr.  Fulton  home  with  him, 
and  they  would  make  more  extensive  trials  on  the  Hudson ;  and 
the  first  steamboat  that  ran  from  New  York  to  Albany  should 
be  called  the  Clermont,  and  his  daughter  should  ride  in  it. 

The  letter  gave  rise  to  enthusiastic  discussions  around  the 
blazing  fire.  Some  thought  it  was  all  foolishness,  it  could 
never  be  of  any  practical  use;  others  were  not  so  sure,  and 
Lloyd  said  simply : 


BEHIND  A  CLOSED  DOOR  339 

"I  have  never  been  much  interested  in  science,  but  the  men 
who  are  can  certainly  do  wonderful  things;  sometimes  I  al 
most  think  they  work  them  by  black  art.  I  spent  last  winter 
in  St.  Louis  with  a  man  who  did  many  strange  things.  He 
made  little  sticks  that  would  burst  into  flame  by  simply  scratch 
ing  them  on  some  hard  substances,  and  he  put  quicksilver  into 
little  glass  bottles  and  it  told  how  hot  it  was,  or  whether  it 
was  going  to  rain  or  snow.  For  my  part,"  he  concluded  soberly, 
"  I  shall  not  be  astonished  at  what  any  man  does,  since  I  have 
lived  with  Dr.  Saugrain." 

"  But  did  you  never  meet  Mr.  Fulton  in  Paris  ?  "  Miss  Liv 
ingston  asked. 

"  Mr.  Fulton  ?  "  Lloyd  stopped  to  think  a  moment,  as  was 
his  habit.  "  Had  he  very  wonderful  dark  eyes  and  curling 
chestnut  hair?  I  met  a  Mr.  Fulton  in  whom  your  father  was 
greatly  interested,  but  I  thought  he  was  an  artist." 

"  So  he  was,"  said  Miss  Livingston,  "  and  a  very  good  one, 
I  believe,  until  he  got  this  bee  in  his  bonnet." 

I  was  too  full  of  my  own  thoughts  and  in  too  desperate  a 
mood  to  be  much  interested  in  this  talk  about  a  Mr.  Fulton 
of  whom  I  never  expected  to  hear  again.  I  was  not  one  of 
those  who  believed  his  inventions  would  ever  come  to  anything 
and  I  thought  Mr.  Livingston  was  squandering  his  money  very 
foolishly,  for  I  knew  such  experiments  must  be  exceeding 
costly.  But  I  was  not  in  a  state  of  mind  to  care  what  any 
Livingston  did  just  now;  the  whole  family  were  involved,  in 
my  mind,  in  the  odium  I  bore  Miss  Livingston.  I  was  des 
perately  tired  and  thoroughly  miserable;  I  wished  someone 
would  make  a  move  towards  bed.  As  if  in  answer  to  my  wish, 
Miss  Livingston  spoke : 

"  Sir  Lionel,  I  think  you  and  your  friends  must  be  suffering 
from  the  fatigues  of  your  adventures.  Mademoiselle  and  I  will 
withdraw,  and  you  can  smoke  or  to  bed,  as  you  will." 

This  was  a  most  considerate  speech  and  most  gently  spoken. 
Miss  Livingston  in  this  mood  was  always  charming.  It  was 
in  my  heart  to  like  her  greatly  if  she  would  only  show  more 
consideration  for  Mademoiselle.  I  sprang  up  with  alacrity  to 


340  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

light  the  bedroom  candles,  standing  on  a  table  in  the  hall,  but 
Mayor  Livingston  was  ahead  of  me.  He  had  one  already 
lighted  and  was  handing  it  to  Mademoiselle  as  I  came  up,  and 
I  heard  him  say: 

"  I  am  leaving  very  early  in  the  morning,  Miss  Desloge ; 
since  you  will  not  come  with  me  to  New  York,  I  hope  you  will 
be  up  in  time  to  bid  me  good-by." 

So  he  was  interested  in  her.  I  had  always  thought  so,  now 
I  was  sure  of  it.  I  would  not  listen  to  her  reply,  but  as  I 
handed  a  candlestick  to  Miss  Livingston  I  bowed  formally,  and 
said  to  her  in  a  manner  purposely  cold  and  distant : 

"  I  think,  madam,  it  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  accompany 
Mayor  Livingston  to  New  York  ill  the  morning;  may  I  have 
the  honor  of  an  interview  with  you  before  I  go  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  sir,"  she  said,  "  though  I  had  hoped  you  and 
your  friends  would  honor  my  poor  house  with  a  longer  stay." 

I  only  bowed  in  reply  and  the  two  maidens  mounted  the 
great  staircase,  each  bearing  a  lighted  taper  in  a  massive  silver 
candlestick,  and  each  graceful  head  turned  over  the  shoulder 
to  catch  the  last  good-nights  from  the  seven  men  drawn  up  at 
the  foot  of  the  staircase  bowing  and  smiling  in  response  to  the 
smiles  of  the  maidens.  I  thought  it  a  wonderfully  pretty 
picture. 

As  they  reached  the  landing  and  turned  toward  the  next 
flight,  Irving  snatched  a  glass  from  a  stand  nearby,  which  held 
the  after-dinner  wine  we  had  been  taking  together,  around  the 
fire,  as  is  the  pleasant  custom  in  some  American  country-houses, 
raised  it  high  above  his  head,  and  in  his  musical  tenor  broke 
into  song: 

"  Here 's  to  the  maiden  of  bashful  fifteen, 
Here  's  to  the  widow  of  fifty,"  etc. 

Every  man  followed  his  example  and  at  the  ringing  chorus: 

"  Let  the  toast  pass, 
Drink  to  the  lass, 
I  warrant  she  '11  prove  an  excuse  for  the  glass." 


"  Let  the  toast  pass  " 


BEHIND  A  CLOSED  DOOR  341 

the  ladies  on  the  landing  curtsied  low.  As  they  rose  from  the 
curtsy  their  eyes  swept  the  phalanx  of  men  below  ringing  out 
the  chorus  with  lifted  glasses,  and  for  each  man  each  maiden 
had  a  smile.  But  Mademoiselle's  eyes  rested  on  mine  last, 
and  as  they  lingered  a  moment  I  thought  there  was  something 
better  than  a  smile  in  her  eyes  for  me. 

A  half  hour  I  stayed  downstairs  with  the  men,  and  then,  as 
an  excuse  for  withdrawing,  I  said  I  must  be  up  early  in  the 
morning,  as  I  was  to  start  for  New  York  with  the  mayor. 

"  Then  I  go  with  you,"  said  Lloyd,  "  for  I  must  hasten  home." 

The  others  tried  to  persuade  us  to  remain  over  for  a  few  days. 

"  Kemble  's  not  able  to  travel  any  farther,  he  's  so  worn  out 
with  his  adventures,"  said  Irving  with  a  sly  wink  at  me,  "  and 
surely  you  '11  not  desert  him." 

But  nothing  could  turn  me  from  my  purpose. 

"  I  '11  see  you  in  New  York,"  I  said,  "  and  we  '11  talk  it  over 
together.  '  Forsitan  et  Jiaec  olim'  you  know."  And  they  were 
compelled  to  give  up  trying  to  persuade  me. 

Going  through  the  corridor  to  our  room,  which  Lloyd  and  I 
were  to  occupy  together,  we  heard  the  sound  of  laughter  and 
merry  voices  from  behind  a  closed  door,  and  just  as  we  passed 
the  door  I  heard  Miss  Livingston's  high,  clear  voice  say,  "  Oh, 
I  would  n't  miss  it  for  anything !  " 

There  was  another  gurgle  of  half-suppressed  laughter  and 
then  I  heard  Miss  Desloge's  voice,  always  low-pitched,  but  its 
tones  sounded  to  me  regretful  or  pathetic,  as  if  she  might  be 
saying,  "  Poor  fellow  !  " 

I  had  an  uncomfortable  feeling  about  that  little  speech  of 
Miss  Livingston's  and  the  laughter  that  followed  and  Miss 
Desloge's  compassionate  tones,  and  yet  I  knew  not  why;  I  had 
no  reason  for  supposing  they  had  anything  to  do  with  me. 


XXVII 

THE   LETTER  R 

I  HAD  my  interview  with  Miss  Livingston  the  next  morn 
ing  —  it  was  brief,  but  I  hoped  it  was  to  the  point. 

"  Miss  Livingston,"  I  began,  "  I  must  first  thank  you  for 
your  courtesy  to  a  stranger.  You  have  made  me  feel  always 
that  I  was  entirely  welcome,  and  Clermont  has  proved  more  of 
a  home  to  me  than  I  had  expected  to  find  in  America." 

She  made  some  polite  rejoinder  and  I  hurried  on : 

"But  while  you  have  been  most  courteous  to  me,  I  have 
found  it  hard  to  endure  that  you  should  treat  an  estimable 
young  lady  under  your  roof  with  such  marked  discourtesy." 

Her  face  flamed  scarlet. 

"  Marked  discourtesy !  "  she  echoed.  "  Sir  Lionel,  I  think 
our  acquaintance  hardly  warrants  your  using  such  words  to  me. 
I  know  not  what  right  you  have  to  criticise  my  manner  toward 
a  paid  dependent." 

I  had  no  right.  I  knew  it  well.  But  her  words  were  most 
offensive  to  me  and  stirred  me  so  profoundly  I  threw  all  sense 
of  propriety  to  the  winds. 

"  I  have  the  right,  madam,"  I  said  coldly,  "  that  every  gen 
tleman  must  assume  to  himself  when  he  sees  a  helpless  creature 
treated  cruelly." 

There  was  some  kind  of  struggle  going  on  within  Miss  Liv 
ingston  that  prevented  her  replying  for  a  moment.  Her  face 
was  crimson,  and  her  eyes  were  moist.  I  was  sure  she  was 
about  to  burst  into  tears  or  laughter,  and  I  could  not  be  sure 
which.  But  after  a  moment  she  controlled  herself  and  spoke 
with  even  greater  hauteur. 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  she  said,  "  I  am  sorry  to  see  you  so  interested 
in  one  so  far  beneath  you.  I  think  it  would  hardly  please 

342 


THE  LETTER  R  343 

your  father  if  he  knew  that  you  were  taking  up  the  cudgels 
so  seriously  in  behalf  of  an  unknown  foreign  girl,  a  French 
woman,  and  in  service  at  that/' 

"  Miss  Livingston ! "  I  exclaimed,  for  the  moment  almost  too 
shocked  for  words  at  the  heartlessness  of  her  speech.  And  then 
I  went  on  boldly.  I  was  rash,  perhaps,  but  I  believed  I  was 
right. 

"  Miss  Livingston,  Miss  Desloge  may  be  a  foreigner  and  a 
Frenchwoman,  and,  as  you  say,  in  service,  but  as  to  being  far 
beneath  me,  she  is  as  far  above  me  as  the  star  is  above  the  moth. 
And  as  to  my  father  being  displeased,  my  father  is  a  gentleman, 
madam,  and  would  recognize  a  lady  of  true  breeding  however 
lowly  her  station  might  be." 

I  could  not  be  mistaken,  there  was  a  fleeting  twinkle  in  her 
eye  at  my  brave  speech ;  no  doubt  she  thought  it  boyish.  In  a 
moment  she  spoke  again,  but  with  an  entire  change  of  manner. 

"  Oh,  la ! "  she  said,  tossing  her  head,  "  what  an  ado  about 
nothing!  Come  in  to  breakfast,  Sir  Lionel,  and  let  bygones 
be  bygones.  Perhaps  I  will  have  experienced  a  change  of  heart 
and  be  the  most  considerate  of  mistresses  by  the  time  you  come 
to  Clermont  again." 

I  bowed  stiffly  and  followed  her  into  the  house.  I  liked 
neither  to  have  my  serious  protest  made  light  of  in  this  fashion, 
nor  to  be  treated  as  a  boy,  but  I  saw  no  use  in  prolonging  the 
discussion.  I  was  half  angry  with  myself  for  having  begun  it. 
I  had  accomplished  nothing,  I  was  quite  sure,  but  to  put  my 
self  in  Miss  Livingston's  bad  graces  and  cut  myself  off  from 
Clermont.  And  Clermont,  of  course,  meant  Mademoiselle. 

There  was  no  one  at  the  early  breakfast  but  the  travelers,  and 
Miss  Livingston  and  Miss  Desloge,  except,  of  course,  the  silent 
Miss  Pomeroy,  an  ancient  maiden  lady  who  lived  at  Clermont 
in  Mr.  Robert  Livingston's  absence  as  perpetual  chaperone,  and 
who  would  not  have  thought  she  was  doing  her  duty  if  she  had 
allowed  the  young  ladies  to  be  present  at  the  early  morning 
breakfast  without  her.  It  was  due  to  her  presence,  I  thought, 
that  I  found  no  chance  for  a  word  of  farewell  with  Made 
moiselle,  for,  though  I  knew  she  was  gracing  this  early  meal 


344  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

for  Mr.  Livingston's  sake,  and  not  mine,  I  none  the  less  coveted 
a  word  with  her,  and  was  irritated  proportionately  with  the 
prim  Miss  Pomeroy. 

And  though  I  could  not  make  the  opportunity,  since  Miss 
Pomeroy  clung  to  me  with  a  persistence  that  was  far  from 
flattering,  since  she  seemed  to  think  I  was  to  be  treated  with 
suspicion,  yet  I  thought  Miss  Desloge  might  have  made  it; 
and  I  rode  down  that  magnificent  avenue  of  scarlet  and  gold 
through  the  crisp,  frosty  air,  Lloyd  on  one  side  of  me  and  Mr. 
Livingston  on  the  other,  with  gloom  and  dissatisfaction  in  my 
heart  that  was  little  in  consonance  with  the  bright  October 
morning. 

Mayor  Livingston  told  us,  as  we  rode  down  the  familiar  Post 
Road,  along  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  river,  that  he  had  been 
waiting  at  Clermont  only  to  hear  the  result  of  our  expedition. 
Although  he  assured  us  he  had  not  for  a  moment  counted  on  our 
recovering  the  money  —  La  Force's  plans,  he  knew,  would  be 
too  well  and  deeply  laid  —  yet,  I  believe  that  he  had  counted 
much  on  it,  and  that  his  disappointment  was  proportionately 
great.  How  we  had  come  to  fail  in  our  attempt  I  could  hardly 
see.  I  had  been  so  confident  of  success  and  it  maddened  me  to 
think  La  Force  had  been  so  much  cleverer  than  I,  watching  us, 
no  doubt,  as  we  toiled  up  the  hill  to  Xatty  Bumpo's  cave  with 
that  heavy  chest,  and  laughing  to  himself  at  our  fruitless  labor. 

As  he  said,  Mr.  Livingston  had  only  waited  to  know  the  re 
sult;  now  he  was  going  back  to  Xew  York  to  resign  his  office 
and  make  his  arrangements  for  leaving  the  city.  He  had  re 
solved  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  new  province  of  Louisiana 
and  in  the  city  of  Xew  Orleans,  which  was  to  be  formally 
ceded  to  the  United  States  in  December.  He  had  high  hopes 
of  success  there  as  a  barrister,  since  he  was  fluent  with  his 
French  and  had  the  American  law  at  his  tongue's  end  and  his 
finger  tips  —  by  which  I  mean  he  was  both  ready  to  speak  and 
to  write  it. 

I  saw  but  little  of  him  after  my  return  to  the  city,  and  I 
often  wondered  if  he  were  in  communication  with  Mademoiselle 
Desloge  and  how  his  affairs  were  progressing  in  that  direction. 


THE  LETTER  R  345 

Of  Mademoiselle  I  saw  nothing  and  heard  nothing  at  all  for 
four  or  five  weeks.  Then,  one  day  late  in  November,  I  re 
ceived  a  note  from  Miss  Livingston  dated  from  the  Livingston 
house  on  Broadway,  and  saying  that  Miss  Desloge  had  told 
her  that  she  had  an  engagement  with  me  for  sunrise  on  the 
morning  of  the  twenty-fifth.  Since  the  twenty-fifth  happened 
also  to  be  Thanksgiving  Day  —  a  great  feast  day  with  the 
Americans,  I  had  heard  —  she  invited  me  to  dinner  on  that 
day.  And  since  Thanksgiving  dinner  was  always  a  family 
affair  and  likely  to  be  tedious,  it  was  set  for  the  early  hour 
of  three.  Would  I  come  and  be  one  of  the  family  with  them, 
since  I  had  no  family  of  my  own  in  America  with  whom  to 
dine? 

I  thought  it  particularly  kind  of  Miss  Livingston  to  forget 
and  forgive  in  this  friendly  fashion  my  berating  of  her  so 
cavalierly  on  my  last  morning  in  Clermont.  I  told  her  so  in 
my  note  when  I  accepted  her  invitation,  but  what  I  did  not  tell 
her  was  that  I  could  not  so  easily  forget  her  treatment  of  Miss 
Desloge.  However,  I  hoped  she  might  have  reformed  in  that, 
and  I  was  glad  of  a  chance  to  see  Miss  Desloge  again  on  any 
terms.  I  racked  my  brains  for  a  good  two  hours  before  I  could 
remember  any  engagement  with  Miss  Desloge  for  the  twenty- 
fifth,  but  at  last  I  recalled  our  conversation  on  the  Sea  Gull 
and  the  invitation  I  had  given  her  to  be  present  with  me  to 
see  the  flag  raised  on  the  liberty  pole  at  sunrise  on  November 
twenty-fifth  —  an  invitation  which  I  had  understood  she  did 
not  accept. 

I  knew  I  was  not  mistaken  and  it  set  me  to  wondering  what 
she  could  mean  by  reminding  me  of  it  now.  Did  it  mean  she 
wanted  to  see  me  again?  Had  my  silence  of  weeks  piqued 
her?  Could  it  be  possible  she  had  repented  of  her  refusal? 
Was  she,  at  last,  beginning  to  think  she  would  be  willing  to 
marry  some  other  than  a  Frenchman? 

It  was  foolish  of  me,  no  doubt,  to  be  encouraging  any  such 
hopes,  but  I  could  not  set  out  in  the  dark  of  that  bleak  and 
icy  November  morning  for  my  walk  down  Broadway  to  Miss 
Livingston's  house,  without  thrilling  at  the  thought  that  per- 


346  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

haps,  this  time,  my  hopes  would  not  be  vain.  Even  if  I  had  had 
no  hopes  at  all,  the  mere  thought  of  seeing  her  again,  after  an 
absence  of  weeks,  would  have  set  me  all  ablaze  with  anticipa 
tion. 

And  in  this  absence  from  her  I  had  come  to  one  determina 
tion:  Miss  Desloge  liked  me,  of  that  I  was  sure.  I  was  al 
most  sure  that  she  liked  me  better  than  anyone  else,  at  least, 
in  America.  It  was  possible,  of  course,  that  there  was  some 
one  in  France  she  liked  better  —  someone  she  hoped  to  go  back 
to  some  day  —  but  I  hardly  believed  that.  I  believed,  instead, 
that  she  had  fully  determined  she  would  marry  none  but  a 
Frenchman  and  live  only  in  France.  Well,  perhaps  that  de 
termination  was  unalterable;  perhaps  it  was  not.  But  unalter 
able  or  not,  I  had  resolved  that  I  would  not  seek  Miss  Desloge ; 
I  would  not  thrust  myself  upon  her  or  worry  her  with  my 
importunities;  but  whenever,  by  good  chance,  I  was  in  her 
presence,  I  would  enjoy  every  moment  of  it.  No  other  man, 
when  I  was  near,  should  have  more  of  her  smiles  or  more  of 
her  words.  Now  this  was  rather  a  brave  resolution,  and  I 
was  reminding  myself  of  it  and  screwing  my  courage  up  to 
stick  to  it  as  I  walked  briskly  down  Broadway  on  an  icy 
pavement.  I  was  likely  to  spend  most  of  this  day  in  Miss 
Desloge's  society;  let  me  see  to  it  that  I  improved  every  mo 
ment  of  it. 

It  was  with  a  heart  beating  high  with  resolve  and  excite 
ment  that  I  was  ushered  into  the  Livingston  library  by  a  sleepy 
black  man.  A  newly-kindled  fire  blazed  in  the  wide  chimney 
place  and  lit  up  the  dusky  room  with  a  warm  glow.  Into  this 
rosy  glow  stepped  the  most  enchanting  little  figure  I  have 
ever  looked  upon.  I  had  seen  Miss  Desloge  only  in  filmy  sum 
mer  frocks  or  rich  evening  dress.  I  hardly  knew  this  slim 
creature  in  a  long  pelisse  of  hunter's  green  with  sable  trim 
mings,  her  little  chin  nestled  in  a  broad  tibbet  of  rich  dark 
fur,  and  her  little  hands  lost  in  an  enormous  muff,  while  a 
quilted  bonnet  of  hunter's  green  satin  with  a  drooping  plume 
half  hid  her  sweet  brown  eyes  and  red  gold  curls. 

"  Is  this  Miss  Desloge  ?  "  I  said  as  I  came  forward  into  the 


THE  LETTER  R  347 

fire-glow  beside  her,  "  or  is  it  a  little  Esquimau  straight  from 
the  North  Pole?" 

"Not  straight  from  the  North  Pole,  but  straight  from  Mr. 
Astor's  store  on  Queen  Street.  Don't  you  think  these  furs  are 
lovely?  They  would  cost  a  fortune  in  Paris." 

Now  I  knew  well  enough  that  they  must  have  cost  a  fortune 
here,  also,  for  I,  too,  had  been  in  Mr.  Astor's  store,  and  the 
warm  coat  I  was  wearing,  fur-lined  from  my  ears  to  my  heels, 
had  come  from  that  famous  dealer  in  furs  and  had  cost  no 
small  sum.  I  wondered  how  she  had  been  able  to  buy  them. 
Had  she  squandered  every  cent  of  her  small  salary  (I  sup 
posed  it  must  be  small),  or  were  they  a  gift  from  Miss  Living 
ston?  Well,  it  was  none  of  my  business;  so  I  answered  her, 
looking  straight  into  her  eyes: 

"  Lovely,  indeed !     I  have  never  seen  anything  lovelier." 

"  Shall  we  be  going  ?  "  she  demanded  quickly.  "  We  must 
not  miss  seeing  Van  Arsdale  climb  that  liberty  pole." 

For  answer  I  extended  my  arm  and  she  barely  touched  it 
with  the  tips  of  her  little  mittened  fingers.  Whereupon  I  boldly 
seized  her  hand,  resolutely  drew  it  through  my  arm  and  held  it 
close. 

"  We  are  likely  to  find  some  ice  on  the  streets,  Mademoiselle," 
I  said;  "you  must  needs  have  a  firm  hold  of  me." 

"  Are  you  so  much  surer-footed  than  I  ?  "  she  asked,  laugh 
ing,  to  cover  her  confusion,  the  signs  of  which  I  could  plainly 
discover,  even  in  the  depth  of  her  bonnet,  and  at  which  I  re 
joiced. 

"  Put  out  your  foot  and  let  me  see,"  I  demanded. 

Whereat  she  daintily  set  forward  a  little  foot  in  a  fur-tipped 
moccasin. 

"  I  thought  so,"  I  said.  "  About  as  big  as  Titania's,  and 
as  much  use  on  an  icy  pavement  as  a  pair  of  Chinese  chop 
sticks." 

"  We  are  wasting  time,"  she  answered.  "  Come,  the  sun  will 
be  up  before  we  know  it,"  pulling  me  forward  with  her  little 
hand  as  she  spoke. 

The  sleepy  black  let  us  out  of  the  door  into  a  fairy  world. 


348  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Oh !  "  she  said,  and  again,  "  Oh !  I  have  never  seen  any 
thing  like  it !  Is  n't  it  enchanting  ?  " 

And  indeed  it  was.  I  had  never  seen  anything  like  it  either. 
Up  and  and  down  the  street  every  graceful  drooping  elm,  every 
straight-limbed  poplar,  every  wide-armed  maple,  was  a  blaze 
of  diamonds.  It  had  been  so  dark  when  I  had  left  the  City 
Tavern  I  had  hardly  noticed  them,  but  now  the  dawn  was 
rapidly  brightening  and  every  tiniest  twig  was  a  prism  break 
ing  up  each  faintest  ray  of  light  into  a  thousand  flashing  beams. 

We  walked  through  Fairyland  down  Broadway  to  the  Bowling 
Green,  and  what  I  liked  much  was  that  we  walked  on  a  sea  of 
glass,  so  that  I  had  good  excuse  for  holding  that  little  hand 
close,  and  what  I  liked  still  better  was  that  sometimes,  as  her 
feet  slipped,  she  clung  frantically  to  me  with  both  hands,  and 
little  shrieks  of  "  Oh  !  "  and  "  Ah  !  "  and  "  Mon  Dieu !  "  For 
tunately  the  great  muff  hung  from  a  heavy  cord  around  her 
neck  or  it  would  have  been  lost  many  times  in  that  short  but 
dangerous  passage  to  the  little  park  at  the  foot  of  Broadway. 

In  spite  of  the  early  hour  and  the  icy  morning  there  was  a 
crowd  of  men  and  boys  with  a  few  scattering  women  to  see 
young  David  Van  Arsdale  climb  the  pole  and  set  the  colors 
flying.  He  did  it  like  a  seasoned  salt,  and  though  the  pole  was 
not  greased,  the  ice  made  it  hardly  an  easier  task  than  his 
father  had  found  it  twenty  years  before.  As  the  brilliant  ban 
ner  floated  to  the  breeze  it  was  greeted  with  cheers,  and  Made 
moiselle  waved  a  white  handkerchief  and  I  swung  my  hat, 
though  neither  of  us  was  American.  Yet  every  heart,  whether 
Gallic  or  Saxon,  loves  to  see  a  gallant  deed,  and  my  sympathies 
had  always  been  on  the  side  of  the  colonies  as  I  had  read  of 
their  seven  years'  struggle  for  freedom. 

The  wind  that  swept  up  the  bay  was  growing  colder  every 
minute,  and  Miss  Desloge  began  to  shiver.  There  was  nothing 
to  stay  for  longer,  except  that,  now  the  sun  was  up,  the  trees 
around  the  little  Green  and  on  the  Battery  below,  were  flashing 
a  thousand  dazzling  rays  from  every  tiny  crystal.  The  world 
was  a  blaze  of  glory,  and  it  was  hard  to  tear  one's  self  away. 

Yet  once  inside  the  Livingston  library  —  Miss  Desloge  had 


THE  LETTER  R  349 

insisted  I  must  come  in  and  get  warm  —  I  cared  little  for  the 
fairy  world  we  had  left,  for  as  Miss  Desloge  threw  off  her 
bonnet  and  pelisse,  the  fire-light  on  her  red  gold  hair  was  far 
more  dazzling  than  the  crystal  world  outside.  She  bade  me 
take  the  chair  in  the  opposite  chimney  corner  and  without  giv 
ing  me  a  chance  to  direct  the  conversation,  she  began  at  once, 
and  with  the  air  of  an  elder  sister: 

"  Now  tell  me  what  you  have  been  doing  for  the  last  five 
weeks." 

But  I  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  asking  the  question  I  had 
intended  to  ask  her,  as  soon  as  we  were  within  the  shelter  of 
four  walls. 

"  Tell  me,  first,  how  you  happened  to  send  me  that  message 
about  our  sunrise  engagement?  I  suppose  you  know  we  had  no 
engagement  ?  " 

She  was  taken  aback  by  my  boldness.  For  a  moment  she 
blushed  and  stammered,  and  then  the  old  twinkle  came  dancing 
into  her  eyes. 

"  You  are  ungenerous.  I  thought  you  would  think  that  we 
had  an  engagement  and  you  had  forgotten  it;  or  at  least,  that  I 
thought  we  had." 

"No,  I  thought  neither." 

"What  did  you  think?" 

"  I  thought  many  things,  but  they  do  not  matter ;  may  I  tell 
you  what  I  hoped  ?  " 

But  apparently  she  was  not  ready  to  hear  my  hopes.  She 
broke  in  quickly: 

"  I  will  tell  you  why  I  sent  that  message  —  I  was  growing 
anxious  about  you ;  we  had  been  hearing  many  reports  of  you  in 
Clermont." 

"  I  suppose  you  heard  of  my  racing  Saladin  ?  I  wish  you 
had  been  there  to  see.  There  were  sixteen  entries,"  I  went  on 
hurriedly,  determined  to  give  her  no  chance  to  interrupt,  "  and 
Saladin  got  away  from  the  field  in  the  very  start.  They  never 
came  near  him  from  the  moment  we  left  Chatham  Square  till 
we  came  to  the  finish  three  miles  out  on  the  Bowery  Road.  I 
won  the  saddle,  you  know  ?  " 


350  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Did  you  win  nothing  else  ?  "  she  asked  severely. 

"You  mean,  did  I  win  any  bets?  Of  course  I  had  some 
money  up  on  my  own  horse,  but  it's  all  right.  I  won  it  ten 
times  over." 

"  I  would  like  it  better,  if  you  had  lost  it,"  she  said  soberly. 
"  But  tell  me,  where  did  you  go  when  the  race  was  over  ?  " 

"  Out  to  the  Belvedere  Club  with  some  of  the  members,"  I 
answered,  wondering  at  her  catechism  but  determined  to  keep 
my  temper.  "  It  is  a  delightful  spot,  particularly  on  a  warm 
day.  It  overlooks  the  East  River  and  you  can  see  across  to 
Brooklyn  and  down  the  bay,  and  if  there  's  any  breeze  in  any 
direction,  one  is  bound  to  get  it  on  the  Club-House  veranda." 

"Do  you  mind  telling  me  what  you  and  your  friends  did  at 
the  Club?" 

"Amused  ourselves  in  the  various  fashions  gentlemen  are  in 
the  habit  of  amusing  themselves,"  I  answered  stiffly,  growing 
restive,  at  last. 

"I  do  not  know  the  fashion  of  their  ways,"  she  answered 
with  some  warmth,  "  but  I  have  been  hearing  too  much  of  your 
racing  and  betting  and  —  gambling." 

At  that  I  grew  angry  indeed. 

"Why  should  you  care?  You  never  gave  me  any  reason  to 
think  you  cared  about  anything  I  do,"  I  said  with  a  show  of 
temper.  "  Perhaps  if  you  had,  it  might  be  different.  I  would 
not  then  have  to  distract  myself  with  all  kinds  of  amusements." 

"  I  do  care,"  she  answered,  once  more  quietly.  "  Anyone 
would  care  about  a  friend's  doings,  and  I  am  always  thinking 
of  your  father,  and  why  he  sent  you  here,  and  what  he  would 
think." 

I  was  silent  a  moment;  her  speech  had  touched  me.  I  liad 
been  rather  wild  in  these  five  weeks  and  it  was  largely,  as  I 
had  intimated,  for  the  sake  of  distraction  that  I  had  plunged 
into  every  species  of  folly  the  gay  New  York  society  had  of 
fered  me.  I  had  been  finding  it  easy  to  be  gay  since  coming 
back  to  the  city.  The  fame  of  my  trial  and  my  pursuit  of 
La  Force  had  brought  the  young  gentry  of  New  York  about  me 
in  crowds  on  my  return;  and  a  delightful  set  of  young  fellows 


THE  LETTER  R  351 

1  had  found  them  and  their  families  most  hospitable.  There 
was  hardly  a  great  house  on  Broadway  or  Broad  Street  or 
Queen's  Street  or  Wall  Street,  or  a  villa  on  the  Bloomingdale 
Eoad  or  the  Bowery  Eoad  that  had  not  entertained  me.  I  had 
found  the  daughters  of  the  houses  charming  and  the  mothers 
no  less  so.  Sometimes  mother  and  daughter  had  made  it  plain 
that  Sir  Lionel  of  Clover  Combe  Court  was  welcome  to  even 
more  than  a  guest's  place  in  the  family  circle,  and  had  I  been 
heart  free  I  know  not  but  I  might  have  succumbed  to  the  charms 
of  some  of  those  fair  young  "  Knickerbockers,"  as  my  friend 
Irving  has  since  named  them.  As  it  was,  I  danced  with  them; 
I  went  driving  with  them  on  the  "  fourteen  mile  round  " ;  with 
some  of  them,  I  even  took  moonlight  walks,  out  the  Boston 
Post  Eoad  as  far  as  the  Kissing  Bridge ;  and  yet  returned  home, 
heart  whole  and  fancy  free. 

I  had  been  gay,  but  in  my  swift  glance  backward  over  the 
five  weeks  I  had  the  proud  consciousness  that,  for  all  my  folly, 
I  had  harmed  no  man  or  woman;  that  if  any  maiden  in  the  gay 
little  city  thought  more  highly  of  me  than  she  ought  to  think, 
it  was  no  word  of  mine,  and,  I  believed,  no  glance  or  air  of  de 
votion  of  mine  that  had  betrayed  her  to  it. 

And  so  I  said  this  to  Miss  Desloge,  and  with  something  of 
the  pride  of  self-respect  I  felt,  for  it  had  come  to  me  in  a  flash 
that,  if  she  had  been  hearing  of  my  racing  and  betting,  per 
haps,  also,  she  had  heard  that  I  had  been  trifling  with  the  affec 
tions  of  the  young  New  York  damsels.  And  I  think  I  was  right 
in  my  conjecture,  for  it  was  with  an  air  of  relief  that  she  said 
earnestly  and  simply: 

"  I  believe  you,  Sir  Lionel.  I  did  not  think  your  father's 
son  could  ever  stoop  to  petty  follies.  And  now  you  must  for 
give  my  assuming  the  role  of  mentor  uninvited.  You  must 
have  wondered  at  me,  but  you  must  acknowledge,  only  the  most 
friendly  anxiety  for  your  welfare  could  have  compelled  me  to 
venture  on  such  presuming." 

I  had  it  on  my  tongue's  end  to  say,  "  Keep  the  role  and  keep 
the  office.  Be  my  mentor  now  and  forever,"  when  the  sleepy 
black  put  his  head  in  the  door  with  an  invitation  from  Miss 


352  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Livingston  to  Sir  Lionel  to  stay  to  breakfast.  I  sprang  to  my 
feet.  I  had  forgotten  the  flight  of  time,  and  with  a  polite 
message  of  regret  to  Miss  Livingston  and  a  reminder  to  Miss 
Desloge  that  I  should  see  her  again  at  three,  I  took  my  leave 
with  a  light  heart.  I  believed  I  was  making  progress.  Her 
anxiety  for  my  welfare  must  have  a  better  foundation  than 
mere  friendliness,  or  regard  for  my  father.  "  And  it  's  odd," 
I  said  to  myself,  "how  she  always  brings  him  in  exactly  as  if 
she  knew  him." 

I  think  no  other  day  I  spent  in  America  had  quite  the  charm 
of  that  Thanksgiving  Day.  I  found  it  had  begun  to  snow 
when  I  once  more  stepped  out  of  the  Livingston  house.  Tho 
brilliant  sun  of  the  morning,  that  had  set  the  ice-laden  trees 
to  flashing  and  sparkling,  had  gone.  Heavy  clouds  had  come 
up  from  the  southeast  and  the  first  flakes  were  big  and  fleecy 
and  quickly  melting  as  they  fell;  but  the  wind  gradually  veered 
to  the  east,  and  then  to  the  northeast,  growing  colder  as  it 
veered,  the  flakes  grew  smaller,  filling  the  air,  and  no  longer 
melting  as  they  fell,  and  by  three  o'clock  there  were  six  inches 
of  snow  on  the  ground  and  no  signs  of  letting  up  in  what  had 
now  become  a  driving  storm. 

By  three  o'clock,  also,  the  streets  were  alive  with  sleighs  of 
every  description.  One-horse  cutters  and  two-horse  carioles, 
and  an  occasional  one  drawn  by  four  horses,  gay  with  bells  and 
nodding  plumes,  and  warm  with  rich  fur  robes,  were  flying  up 
and  down  the  Broadway,  calling  for  or  depositing  merry  loads 
at  every  house.  Evidently  the  whole  city  was  giving  dinner 
parties,  and  at  the  same  hour. 

I  thought  a  family  dinner  was  hardly  the  occasion  for  being 
fashionably  late,  and  so,  wrapped  in  my  furs,  I  walked  down 
the  Broadway  and  arrived  at  the  Livingston's  promptly  on  the 
stroke  of  three.  The  house,  that  had  been  quiet  enough  in 
the  morning,  was  brimming  with  young  life.  Children  were 
at  every  window,  watching  the  arrivals;  young  people  were  in 
every  cozy  nook;  older  people  were  gathered  around  the  blazing 
fires.  I  was  abashed,  and  had  it  not  been  that  Miss  Livingston 
came  out  into  the  hall  where  I  was  getting  myself  out  of  my 


THE  LETTER  R  353 

furs,  and  made  me  at  once  cordially  at  home  by  taking  my  arm 
and  conducting  me  from  group  to  group,  I  would  have  fled 
appalled.  This  was  my  first  meeting  with  her  since  I  parted 
with  her  in  anger  at  Clermont.  There  was  no  shadow  of  re 
membrance,  in  her  manner,  of  that  parting,  and  I  said  to  myself, 
"  What  manner  of  woman  is  this,  that  can  captivate  my  liking 
by  her  gracious  charm  and  make  me  furiously  angry  by  her 
uncalled-for  severity  to  a  helpless  dependent  ?  " 

I  am  not  going  to  describe  that  dinner,  even  if  I  could.  By 
this  time  many  Englishmen  have  sat  down  to  a  Thanksgiving 
feast  and  they  know  the  joys  of  the  groaning  table,  presided 
over  by  lordly  turkeys,  oozing  richness  from  every  pore  of  their 
crisp  brown  skins.  The  Livingston  family  was  a  large  one, 
and  there  were  aunts  and  uncles  and  cousins  at  that  dinner 
from  every  branch  of  the  family.  Many  of  them  bore  names 
that  had  already  grown  familiar  to  me  as  among  the  proudest 
of  the  proud  little  city.  And  so  great  a  company  was  it  that, 
though  one  long  table  was  set  the  whole  length  of  the  great 
dining-room,  another,  almost  as  long,  was  set  in  the  wide  hall  for 
the  younger  children. 

I  have  said  it  was  one  of  the  most  delightful  days  I  spent 
in  America,  and  yet  I  had  but  little  chance  for  conversation  with 
Mademoiselle.  I  had  a  charming  young  lady  for  my  dinner 
partner  and  Miss  Desloge  was  far  down  the  long  table.  I  was 
doing  my  best  to  make  myself  agreeable  to  my  neighbor  and  to 
those  nearest  me,  and  Mademoiselle,  I  could  see,  was  the  center 
of  attraction  to  all  the  young  Livingstons  and  Van  Cortlandts 
and  Van  Rensselaers  in  her  neighborhood,  and  for  once  I  liked 
to  see  it  and  felt  no  pangs  of  jealousy.  I  think  what  made 
the  charm  of  the  day  to  me  was  seeing  her  in  so  many  new 
lights;  seeing  her  help  Miss  Livingston  play  the  hostess  with 
such  a  pretty  air  of  being  at  home;  seeing  her  carve  one  of 
those  great  turkeys  more  swiftly  and  deftly  than  any  man 
could  have  done ;  seeing  all  those  young  men  hover  around  her, 
eager  for  a  word  or  a  smile,  and  the  young  maidens  hardly 
less  eager.  And  then,  when  the  dinner  was  over,  long  after 
dark,  with  blazing  fires  leaping  and  crackling  in  every  room, 
23 


354  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

and  a  hundred  wax  tapers  adding  their  mellow  radiance  to  the 
red  glow  of  the  fires,  to  see  her  enter  into  the  children's  romp 
with  all  the  innocent  merriment  and  lack  of  self-consciousness 
of  a  child,  was  a  charming  thing  to  behold. 

Not  that  I  seemed  to  be  watching  her,  I  hope.  I  was  in  a 
cozy  nook  with  a  beautiful  Miss  Van  Cortlandt  and  I  do  not  be 
lieve  she  thought  me  too  interested  in  the  children's  romp  or 
thought  me  anything  but  entirely  absorbed  in  her  lively  chatter, 
yet  I  lost  not  a  word  or  a  movement  of  Miss  Desloge,  while  I 
kept  up  my  end  of  Miss  Van  Cortlandt's  pretty  nonsense  as 
best  I  could. 

And  I  think  she  thought  it  was  entirely  for  her  sake  that  I 
suggested  joining  in  blind  man's  buff,  a  game  that  one  of  the 
older  lada  had  proposed,  and  that  they  had  been  playing  for 
a  full  ten  minutes.  I  had  been  watching  them  growing  every 
moment  noisier  and  more  excited,  as  each  blinded  boy  tried  to 
catch  and  kiss  Miss  Desloge,  and  I  grew  every  moment  more 
eager  to  have  a  hand  in  the  game. 

I  think  Miss  Van.  Cortlandt  thought  it  was  for  her  sake,  for 
she  blushed  very  prettily  as  she  assented,  and  my  conscience 
smote  me.  I  managed  to  get  caught  by  a  very  little  girl  almost 
on  the  first  round,  and  when  the  handkerchief  was  bound  about 
my  eyes,  I  peeped  shamelessly,  and  so  managed  to  avoid  all  the 
maidens  and  little  girls  who  artlessly  put  themselves  in  my 
way,  and  never  losing  sight  of  the  red  gold  curls,  I  cornered 
their  owner  where  she  was  hiding  by  a  great  hautboy  and  cap 
tured  her.  With  one  arm  holding  her  as  she  struggled  to  get 
free,  I  put  the  other  hand  on  her  curls  as  if  trying  to  identify  her. 
Of  course  I  knew  very  well  whom  I  had  caught.  No  other 
curls,  I  knew,  could  feel  so  soft  and  warm  and  vital  to  the 
touch,  even  if  I  had  not  caught  her  open-eyed  and  with  inten 
tion.  Yet  not  for  the  world,  before  that  laughing  roomful, 
would  I  have  named  her  aright  and  claimed  my  reward;  so, 
taking  advantage  of  the  gleeful  din  the  youngsters  were  mak 
ing,  I  said,  low,  for  her  ears  alone,  "  my  little  Esquimau." 
Aloud  I  boldly  named  Miss  Van  Cortlandt  who,  fortunately,  also 
wore  her  hair  in  curls.  And  as  I  named  her,  I  tore  off  my 


THE  LETTER  R  355 

bandage  and  pretended  to  be  greatly  surprised  that  I  had  named 
her  wrong,  and  disappointed  that  I  had  lost  the  kiss  that  would 
have  been  mine  had  I  named  her  aright. 

As  I  took  off  my  bandage  I  saw  Miss  Desloge  cowering  in 
the  corner,  her  hands  before  her  face.  Did  she  so  greatly  dread 
that  kiss? 

"You  are  in  no  danger,  madam,  since  I  failed  to  call  you 
aright,"  I  said  gravely,  but  my  heart  was  not  grave.  Just  to 
have  held  her  in  my  arms  one  moment,  just  to  have  let  my  hand 
linger  on  her  lovely  hair,  caressing  its  clustering  ringlets  — 
for  that  was  what  I  was  really  doing  under  pretense  of  trying 
to  decide  the  owner  —  just  to  have  whispered  in  her  ear,  "  my 
little  Esquimau,"  and  felt  her  soft  palpitation  at  the  words, 
was  more  intoxicating  than  the  fine  oLl  Madeira  we  had  had 
at  dinner,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  evening  no  boisterous  lad  or 
romping  lass  of  that  merry  family  party  was  in  wilder  spirits 
than  I. 

By  eight  o'clock  sleigh  after  sleigh  with  jingling  bells  had 
glided  to  the  door,  received  its  merry  burden  well  hooded, 
cloaked,  and  furred,  and  glided  away  again.  I  made  a  feint 
of  going  with  the  others,  but  Miss  Livingston  said  to  me  in  a 
peremptory  aside,  "  Stay  where  you  are,  sir,"  and  I  was  glad  to 
obey. 

The  house  seemed  wonderfully  quiet  after  the  tumult  of  the 
day,  and  delightfully  warm  and  cozy  and  shut-in,  with  the 
wind  howling  down  the  wide  chimneys  and  the  snow  driving 
against  the  window  panes  and  piling  high  on  the  ledges.  There 
was  a  loud  rap  of  the  ponderous  brass  knocker  on  the  street 
door  and,  a  moment  later,  a  blast  of  cold  air,  as  the  knock  was 
quickly  responded  to  by  one  of  the  many  black  boys  in  attend 
ance,  and  a  great  noise  of  stamping  feet  and  a  cheery  call  in 
Irving's  well-known  voice: 

"  Bring  us  a  broom,  Sambo,  and  sweep  us  off ;  we  '11  melt  if 
we  go  near  a  fire  in  our  present  condition." 

When  a  moment  later  he  and  Kemble  entered  the  room  he 
saluted  Miss  Livingston  with: 

"  We  've  come  for  our  apples  and  doughnuts  and  cider  and 


356  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

walnuts,  Miss  Livingston.  It  wouldn't  be  Thanksgiving  with 
out  them." 

"  You  surely  don't  want  them  yet  ?  "  Miss  Livingston  asked. 
"  You  are  hardly  through  dinner,  I  suppose." 

"  Oh,  no,  not  before  somewhere  near  midnight,"  Kemble  re 
plied  for  him  quickly.  "  We  've  come  for  a  long,  cozy,  quiet  chat 
after  the  fatigues  of  Thanksgiving,  and  the  longer  the  better." 

And  that  was  just  what  we  had.  Each  in  the  most  com 
fortable  chair  he  could  find  drawn  up  around  the  fire,  we  made 
a  little  semicircle.  Mr.  Livingston  was  to  leave  the  next  day 
for  the  South;  this  was  his  last  evening  with  us.  The  journey 
would  be  a  long  one,  and  not  without  peril,  and  our  talk  natu 
rally  fell  on  the  excitements  of  it,  and  the  new  life  he  was  to 
take  up  in  the  French  city  of  the  South. 

We  all  talked  quietly,  for  our  hearts  were  touched  at  the 
thought  of  the  lonely  man,  going  bravely  out  to  seek  new  for 
tunes  in  a  distant  field,  but  Miss  Desloge  was  even  quieter  than 
the  rest  of  us.  She  seldom  spoke,  and  then  only  in  answer  to 
some  speech  made  directly  to  her,  generally  by  Irving  or  Mr. 
Livingston.  I  wondered  if  it  was  the  departure  of  the  morrow 
that  made  her  so  quiet;  if,  perhaps,  she  was  sad  at  the  thought 
of  it. 

And  then  I,  too,  fell  to  musing  —  of  our  talk  that  morning; 
of  her  sweet  housewifely  air  at  dinner  and  her  merry  ways  with 
the  children  after  dinner;  of  holding  her  in  my  arms  one 
blessed  moment,  and  —  just  at  that  point  in  my  musings,  in 
came  Sambo,  bearing  a  great  tray  with  a  foaming  flagon  of 
cider,  a  generous  dish  of  nuts  and  apples,  and  a  goodly  pile  of 
toothsome  doughnuts,  exactly  as  Irving  had  demanded. 

As  we  ate  our  apples  we  whirled  the  parings  around  our 
heads  and  flung  them  on  the  floor.  Miss  Desloge's  made  a 
perfect  L.  She  blushed  (was  it  for  Lionel  or  Livingston  she 
blushed?)  and  whirled  it  round  her  head  once  more.  This  time 
it  was  an  M,  as  clear  as  print,  and  nothing  could  persuade  her 
to  try  it  again. 

But  mine  made  always  an  R.  Over  and  over  I  tried  it  but 
it  was  always  the  same,  and  I  was  greatly  vexed. 


XXVIII 

I    WEAR   MY   HAT   IN    THE   PIT 

FOR  a  week  I  was  in  the  seventh  heaven  and  then,  one 
night,  I  summarily  fell  to  the  seventh  —  hades. 

For  a  week  after  that  happy  Thanksgiving  I  saw  Miss  Des- 
loge  every  day.  The  very  afternoon  following  there  was  a 
cariole  party  to  Captain  Marriner's  Tavern,  ten  miles  out  on 
the  Bowery  Road,  with  a  hot  supper  of  oysters  and  game,  for 
which  the  inn  was  famous,  and  dancing  after  supper  in  the 
long  dining-room,  and  a  ten-mile  ride  home  in  the  moonlight  — 
and  I  was  in  the  cariole  with  Miss  Livingston  and  Kemble  and 
Miss  Desloge ! 

Now  you  must  remember  that  at  home  I  had  seen  little  of 
society.  I  was  but  a  lad  of  fifteen  when  I  entered  Oxford  and 
I  had  hardly  been  in  London  except  to  run  down  from  college 
to  see  a  play  or  hear  some  great  concert  —  for  I  was  music 
mad  in  those  days,  and  played  a  little  myself  on  the  'cello. 
My  summers  had  been  spent  in  travel,  and  at  Clover  Combe  I 
cared  nothing  for  the  county  society.  My  father  told  me  I 
was  too  young  to  take  an  interest  in  it,  I  would  come  to  it  some 
day.  But  such  a  thing  as  a  sleighing  party  with  young  men 
and  maidens  and  no  tiresome  elders  to  put  a  check  on  our 
spirits  had  never  come  within  the  range  of  my  experience. 
Small  wonder  I  was  in  the  seventh  heaven! 

And  then  the  very  next  day  Irving  and  I  were  invited  out 
to  dinner  at  the  Grange  with  Miss  Livingston  and  Miss  Des 
loge.  And  going  up  over  Harlem  Heights  our  cariole  plunged 
into  a  great  snow  drift  and  upset  us  all,  and  what  with  digging 
ourselves  out  first,  and  then  the  two  maidens,  and  getting  them 
brushed  off  and  stowed  away  in  the  cariole  with  the  warm  rugs 
snugly  tucked  around  them,  and  safely  pulled  out  of  the  deep 

357 


358  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

drift  without  another  upset,  we  were  in  such  a  gale  of  glee  by 
the  time  we  reached  the  Grange  that  Mr.  Hamilton  pretended 
to  be  greatly  offended  with  us.  We  were  taking  his  dinner 
party  as  a  huge  joke,  and  he  had  a  notion  to  retaliate  by  giving 
us  no  dinner.  But  with  the  appetite  our  ride  in  the  keen  air 
had  given  us,  I  assured  him  we  would  make  no  bones  of  serving 
him  up  to  appease  our  hunger  if  nothing  better  offered. 

We  found  this  was  more  of  a  party  than  we  had  expected, 
with  Mrs.  Hamilton's  sister,  Mrs.  Van  Eensselaer,  and  her 
husband,  the  handsome  Patroon,  as  the  guests  of  honor.  It 
was  a  great  dinner  of  a  dozen  courses,  with  a  bewildering  va 
riety  of  dishes,  each  one  a  little  better  than  the  last,  and 
we  sat  so  long  at  the  table  that  by  the  time  we  had  had  our 
coffee  in  the  big  living-room  whose  windows  looked  out  over 
the  Hudson,  twilight  had  wrapped  the  Jersey  hills  in  gloom, 
the  full  moon  was  rising  in  the  east,  and  it  was  time  for  another 
glorious  ride  home  by  its  light. 

The  next  night  there  was  a  ball  given  by  another  Livingston 
—  that  Mrs.  Henry  Walter  Livingston  who  lived  in  the  Liv 
ingston  Manor  House  on  the  Hudson,  on  the  original  manor, 
of  which  Clermont  was  only  a  part.  She  was  a  very  beautiful 
woman  and  a  great  leader  in  New  York  society  and  the  ball 
was  a  very  grand  affair.  Miss  Desloge  wore  a  more  beautiful 
costume  than  I  had  yet  seen  her  wear,  all  of  shimmering  white 
and  silver  (and  it  flashed  into  my  mind  that  for  a  poor  girl  she 
had  many  grand  gowns)  and  every  man  there  wanted  to  dance 
with  her;  but  I  led  her  out  in  the  minuet,  I  took  her  down  to 
supper,  and  after  supper  it  was  I  who  dared  to  struggle  through 
the  new  dance  with  her,  the  waltz  —  she  floating  like  a  fairy 
to  the  witching  music,  and  I  once  more  in  the  seventh  heaven 
with  her  hand  on  my  shoulder  and  my  arm  about  her  waist. 

I  am  not  going  to  tell  the  tale  of  every  one  of  those  seven 
days,  each  one  a  heaven  to  me  and  each  one  leaving  me  a  little 
more  frantically  and  hopelessly  in  love  with  Mademoiselle. 
But  the  seventh  day  was  the  grand  climax  of  them  all;  and 
if  each  day  had  been  a  heaven,  the  seventh  day  was  seven 
heavens. 


I  WEAR  MY  HAT  IN  THE  PIT  359 

"We  young  men  were  giving  an  ice  carnival  on  the  Collect 
Pond.  The  great  snow  that  had  fallen  on  Thanksgiving  Day 
had  fallen  before  the  pond  was  frozen  over,  but  the  freezing 
had  begun  the  very  next  day  and,  by  the  time  of  our  party,  the  ice 
was  firm  as  a  rock  and  smooth  as  glass.  On  the  Bunker  Hill, 
to  the  northwest  of  the  pond,  we  had  set  up  a  pavilion  for 
supper  with  great  bonfires  blazing  before  the  open  side  of  the 
pavilion  to  keep  it  warm;  and  all  around  the  pond  flaring  pine 
knots,  in  iron  baskets  set  high  on  iron  posts,  made  the  glittering 
ice  as  light  as  day.  In  the  pavilion,  looking  down  upon  the 
pond,  were  most  of  the  matrons  of  New  York  society,  and  many 
of  the  older  men :  the  Beekmans,  the  Rooseveldts,  the  Van 
Courtlandts,  the  Tappans,  the  Ludlows,  the  Mortons,  the  Stuy- 
vesants,  the  Van  Rensselaers,  the  Bayards,  were  all  there,  and 
many  more  whose  names  I  have  forgotten;  and  below  them, 
skimming  over  the  ice  like  birds  on  the  wing,  were  their  sons 
and  daughters,  the  ring  of  the  metal  keels  on  the  clear  ice  mak 
ing  a  musical  accompaniment  to  silvery  peals  of  laughter  and 
merry  shouts  of  glee. 

For  two  hours  we  skimmed  the  ice,  in  long  slow  curve,  in 
straight  swift  glide,  wheeling  and  darting,  now  forward,  now 
back;  no  flock  of  swallows  in  the  clear  ether  could  have  been 
more  swift  or  graceful  in  their  flight.  And  for  much  of  those 
two  hours,  Mademoiselle's  little  hand  lay  in  mine,  and  often 
the  others  stopped  to  give  us  room  and  look  at  her,  for  she  had 
learned  in  Paris  that  outward  roll  the  Hollanders  use,  one  foot 
lifted  high  and  crossing  the  other,  and  sending  her  forward 
in  great  curving  lines,  now  to  the  right  and  now  to  the  left, 
that  made  her  skating  the  very  poetry  of  motion.  I,  too,  knew 
the  Dutch  roll,  so  that  I  was  no  hindrance  to  her  in  her  flights, 
and  with  her  eyes  darkened  and  glowing  from  the  exercise,  her 
rich  fur  cap  set  coquettishly  on  her  bright  curls,  and  the  deep 
rose  of  her  cheeks  kindled  by  the  keen  air,  I  do  not  wonder  that 
the  others  drew  back  to  watch  the  lovely  picture. 

There  was  chance,  also,  in  that  long  two  hours  (which  yet 
passed  like  the  flash  of  a  bird's  wing)  to  say  many  things  to 
Mademoiselle;  and  some  things  she  said  in  reply  I  can  never 


360  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

forget.  I  think  I  almost  made  her  confess  (not  in  so  many 
words,  perhaps,  but  in  language  that  seemed  to  me  as  plain  as 
words)  that  had  I  been  of  her  own  country,  she  could  have  liked 
me  well,  and  that  it  would  be  a  sad  day,  indeed,  when  she 
should  have  to  say  good-by  to  me  forever. 

I  believe  I  found  a  melancholy  pleasure  in  the  thought  that 
she  secretly  loved  me  and  that  it  was  only  a  stern  fate  that 
divided  us,  a  pleasure  that  was  almost  as  great  as  if  there  had 
been  no  barrier  between  us.  Indeed,  I  believe  that  element  of 
difficulty  in  love  is  a  keen  sharpener  to  the  passion.  I  hugged 
to  myself  the  cruel  pang  of  my  hopeless  love  and  gloried  in 
the  pain. 

At  six  the  ice  carnival  had  begun,  at  eight  we  sat  down  to 
a  table  literally  groaning  with  good  things,  and  with  appetites 
whetted  by  the  keen  air  and  exercise,  and  spirits  brimming 
over  from  the  swift  racing  of  the  blood  in  our  veins.  Nor, 
indeed,  did  the  chaperones  and  the  older  men,  who  had  not  the 
excuse  of  skating,  seem  a  whit  less  hungry  or  less  brimming 
with  spirits  than  we  younger  ones.  They  were  full  of  stories 
and  amiable  banter  of  any  two  young  people  they  fancied  were 
specially  interested  in  each  other.  I  had  my  share  of  the 
banter,  and  if  I  had  been  quite  sure  Miss  Desloge  did  not 
mind  it,  I  would  have  liked  it  well;  for  just  to  have  my  name 
coupled  with  hers,  even  if  not  openly  spoken,  seemed  to  me  to 
be  another  link  to  bind  us  together. 

Ogden  sat  on  the  other  side  of  Miss  Desloge  at  supper,  and 
Ogden  had  been  one  of  the  young  men  who,  at  the  Livingston 
ball,  had  danced  often  with  her,  and  who  was  forever  hover 
ing  about  her  on  the  ice  before  supper,  seizing  every  opportu 
nity  of  skating  with  her.  Now  I  liked  Ogden  well,  and  I  knew  I 
had  no  right  to  monopolize  Miss  Desloge,  but  I  did  not  like 
to  hear  him  say,  "  Mademoiselle,  may  I  have  one  more  spin 
after  supper?  Those  pine  knots  will  last  just  about  long 
enough  for  twice  round  the  pond." 

"  Mademoiselle  is  to  skate  with  me  after  supper,"  I  inter 
posed  boldly. 

I  had  not  asked  her,  for  I  had  not  thought  there  would 


I  WEAR  MY  HAT  IN  THE  PIT  361 

be  any  more  skating,  nor  did  I  say  that  she  had  promised  me, 
whereby  I  saved  myself  from  the  form  of  a  lie  but  not,  I  fear 
from  its  substance. 

Mademoiselle  looked  at  me,  round-eyed  with  astonishment, 
but  she  would  not  betray  me  to  Ogden.  She  turned  to  him 
sweetly : 

"  If,  as  you  say,  Mr.  Ogden,  there  will  be  time  for  skating 
twice  around  the  pond,  I  will  skate  once  with  you  and  once 
with  Sir  Lionel." 

And  then  to  punish  me,  I  think,  for  the  liberty  I  had  taken, 
she  devoted  herself  to  Ogden  for  the  rest  of  the  supper  hour. 
But  if  she  thought  I  was  suffering  from  my  punishment  she 
was  mistaken.  I  was  elated.  She  had  not  betrayed  me  — 
she  must  care  a  little  to  be  so  careful  of  my  self-respect.  She 
had  given  me  the  last  round  —  perhaps  that  could  be  pro 
longed  into  two  if  the  pine  knots  lasted. 

Moreover,  an  idea  had  flashed  into  my  mind,  and  I  had 
taken  a  sudden  resolve.  It  was  all  nonsense  that  Mademoiselle 
would  not  marry  me  simply  because  I  was  not  a  Frenchman. 
Of  course  she  would  prefer  to  marry  one  of  her  own  country 
men,  just  as  I  would  prefer  to  marry  an  English  lass,  all  else 
being  equal.  But  difference  in  nationality  was  no  insuperable 
obstacle,  and  there  was  but  one  woman  in  the  world  for  me. 
What  weighed  more  with  me  than  this  difference  was  that  I 
had  not  my  father's  consent  and  I  had  promised  to  take  no 
serious  step  without  it.  My  idea  was  that  this  weighed  most 
with  Mademoiselle,  also.  I  had  once  told  her  of  my  promise 
to  my  father,  and  her  pride  would  not  permit  her  to  encourage 
me  without  his  consent.  Well,  my  resolve  was  taken.  I  would 
write  that  very  night  to  my  father,  I  would  tell  him  all  about 
Mademoiselle,  her  gentle  breeding,  evident  to  the  merest 
stranger  and  proved  by  the  way  the  New  York  gentry  sought 
her,  and  the  cruelty  of  her  position  with  Miss  Livingston.  I 
did  not  doubt  my  father's  answer,  and  until  then  I  would  hold 
myself  in  patience.  I  would  see  her  and  enjoy  to  the  utter 
most  every  moment  in  her  presence,  but  I  would  say  no  more 
to  her  of  love  and  marriage  until  I  had  my  father's  letter. 


362  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

And  so  engrossed  was  I  in  the  making  of  this  resolve,,  the 
thought  of  the  letter  I  was  to  write,  and  still  more  of  the 
answer  and  what  was  to  follow,  that  I  scarcely  heeded  Ogden 
and  his  devotion  to  Mademoiselle,  and  without  a  pang  let  them 
leave  the  table  with  only  a  word  of  excuse  to  me,  and  go  down 
together  to  the  pond. 

The  night  after  the  Ice  Carnival,  I  had  promised  to  go 
to  the  New  Park  Theater  (which  was  so  called,  although  it 
had  been  built  for  several  years,  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
old  John  Street  Theater)  with  Irving  and  Dick  McCall.  Lewis 
Hallam  the  younger  was  to  play  Lord  Oglesby.  I  had  seen 
him  in  the  character  in  London,  but  he  was  well  worth  seeing 
a  second  time,  and,  moreover,  I  had  never  been  to  the  play  in 
New  York  and  I  was  curious  to  see  the  playhouse,  the  manner 
of  setting  the  play  and  the  audience.  All  New  York  would 
be  there,  Irving  said,  for  this  was  Hallam's  first  appearance 
since  his  return  from  London,  and  he  was  a  prime  favorite 
with  New  Yorkers. 

I  would  have  liked  well  to  be  going  with  Mademoiselle  Des- 
loge  but  Ogden  had  been  ahead  of  me,  and  the  first  thing  that 
caught  my  eye  as  I  entered  the  house  was  the  stall  where  he 
and  Kemble  sat  behind  Miss  Desloge  and  Miss  Livingston. 
The  house  itself  was  an  agreeable  surprise ;  I  had  not  expected  to 
find  it  comparing  so  favorably  with  our  London  playhouses. 
The  stalls  and  boxes  were  a  dazzling  sight;  I  did  not  believe 
His  Majesty's  itself  could  present  such  a  glittering  circle  of 
jeweled  beauties,  eyes  'and  gems  alike  flashing  in  the  rays 
from  a  thousand  tapers. 

As  was  the  custom,  we  three,  being  gentlemen  of  quality, 
kept  on  our  hats  as  we  took  our  seats  in  the  pit.  Instantly 
from  the  galleries  broke  forth  a  bedlam  of  shouts :  "  Off  with 
the  hats !  "  "  Take  off  your  hats !  "  I  removed  mine  hurriedly, 
abashed  at  being  the  object  of  such  attention,  and  with  Ma 
demoiselle  to  see.  So,  also,  did  Irving  and  McCall,  though  with 
less  haste.  In  a  moment  the  shouts  were  turned  to  hisses. 
Could  I  but  have  made  up  my  mind  to  brave  the  hisses  all 
would  have  been  well,  but  at  the  sound  my  blood  boiled,  and 


I  WEAR  MY  HAT  IN  THE  PIT  363 

more  hastily  than  I  had  removed  it  I  put  my  hat  on  again 
with  an  air  of  bravado. 

"  Don't  do  that !  "  Irving  remonstrated.  "  You'll  get  into 
trouble.  The  hissing  won't  last  a  minute  and  that  will  be  the 
end  of  it." 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  take  off  your  hat,  man,"  McCall  urged, 
but  I  was  stubborn,  and  before  either  of  them  could  utter 
another  word  of  warning  the  storm  broke:  oaths,  cat-calls, 
cries  of  "Curse  his  British  impudence!"  "Down  with  the 
Lords !  "  "  Knock  off  his  hat !  "  came  from  all  over  the  house. 
And  then,  suddenly,  from  behind  me  some  man  did  knock  it 
off. 

I  sprang  to  my  feet,  blind  with  rage,  and  saw  the  man  who 
had  done  it  seated  behind  me  and  smiling  good-humoredly. 
I  believe  now  that  he  did  it  with  the  amiable  idea  of  putting 
a  stop  to  the  uproar,  and  saving  me  from  further  persecution. 
But  I  did  not  believe  so  then. 

"  Pick  up  that  hat ! "  I  ordered,  speaking  quietly  but  with 
every  pulse  quivering. 

The  man  laughed. 

"  Sit  down,  youngster,"  he  said,  still  good-naturedly,  "  and 
keep  quiet ;  the  curtain  's  just  going  up." 

For  answer  I  sprang  at  his  throat.  He  was  a  big  man 
but  I  never  thought  of  that.  I  thought  of  nothing  but  that 
my  father's  son,  the  son  of  an  English  gentleman,  was  being 
bullied  and  jeered  at,  and  made  a  laughing-stock  for  all  Ameri 
cans  in  the  presence  of  Mademoiselle ! 

A  roar. of  laughter  from  the  galleries,  and  some  of  it  from 
the  pit,  had  greeted  the  knocking  off  of  my  hat;  a  wild  uproar 
burst  forth  all  over  the  house  as  I  sprang  at  the  man's  throat. 
I  had  a  confused  sense  that  every  man  in  the  house  was  on 
his  feet,  that  some  were  crying,  "  Kill  him ! "  "  Kill  the 
Britisher ! "  and  others  were  shouting :  "  For  shame ! " 
"Order!"  "Let  the  gentleman  alone!" 

The  man  himself  was  dazed  for  a  moment  at  my  sudden 
onslaught,  but  when,  seizing  him  by  the  collar  with  one  hand, 
with  the  other  I  dealt  him  a  resounding  slap  on  his  cheek 


364  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

he  came  to  himself  and,  springing  to  his  feet,  grappled  with 
me  fiercely.  He  was  powerfully  built  and  in  the  end,  no 
doubt,  I  would  have  fared  badly,  had  we  been  left  to  our 
selves,  but  Irving  and  McCall  sprang  to  my  rescue,  and  a  dozen 
men  from  all  sides  rushed  in  to  separate  us. 

Panting  and  helpless  in  the  grasp  of  my  friends  I  saw, 
through  the  red  haze  that  bleared  my  eyes  like  blood,  two 
officers  force  their  way  through  the  crowd  to  my  side.  They 
were  in  uniform  and  they  carried  heavy  clubs.  For  one  wild 
moment  I  thought  of  resisting  them;  I  could  not  bear  the 
ignominy  of  being  arrested  and  carried  off  to  jail  as  a  common 
disturber  of  the  peace  under  the  eyes  of  all  those  gay  people, 
to  most  of  whom  I  was  very  well  known.  Oh,  why  try  to 
deceive  myself !  At  that  moment  I  cared  not  the  flip  of  my 
finger  for  all  New  York  and  its  gay  society.  It  was  Ma 
demoiselle  Desloge  that  I  could  not  bear  to  be  witness  to  my 
disgrace. 

But  it  was  only  for  a  moment  that  I  thought  of  resisting. 
My  better  sense  returned  to  me.  I  knew  how  useless  any  re 
sistance  would  be,  and  summoning  all  my  fortitude,  with  lifted 
head,  but  with  eyes  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the 
left,  I  was  marched  off  between  the  two  officers,  through  a 
jeering  throng,  to  the  outside  of  the  theater.  And  my  old 
retreat,  the  Bridewell,  being  but  a  stone's  throw  across  the 
square,  I  was  hurried  into  it  once  more. 

I  had  lost  Irving  and  McCall  in  the  throng,  but  I  had  been 
in  the  Bridewell  but  a  few  minutes,  when  they  came  hurrying 
in  with  Kemble  and  Ogden,  whom  they  had  brought  to  go  on 
my  bond. 

"  No  one  in  New  York  would  regard  my  bond  as  worth  the 
paper  it  was  written  on,"  laughed  Irving,  "  but  Kemble,  here, 
is  a  staid  old  fellow,  and  a  man  of  property  besides ;  for  does  n't 
he  own  Cockloft  Hall  in  his  own  right?  " 

Professing  to  regard  the  whole  matter  as  a  huge  joke  and 
trying  to  laugh  me  out  of  my  desperate  mood,  they  went 
through  the  necessary  formalities  to  get  me  out  of  the  Bride 
well  (each  one  of  them,  I  believe,  binding  himself  over  to  see 


I  WEAR  MY  HAT  IN  THE  PIT  365 

that  I  kept  the  peace).  They  were  for  persuading  me  to  re 
turn  to  the  play,  but  to  that  I  would  not  listen  for  a  moment; 
neither  was  I  deceived  by  their  kindly  pretense  of  making  light 
of  my  escapade  —  I  had  disgraced  myself  and  my  friends,  and 
if  the  opportunity  had  been  given  me  to  set  sail  for  England 
that  night,  never  to  see  New  York  or  any  of  its  people  again, 
I  would  not  have  hesitated  for  a  moment. 

Nor  would  I  hear  of  any  one  of  the  four  returning  with  me 
to  the  City  Tavern.  Kemble  and  Ogden,  of  course,  must  go 
back  to  the  ladies;  Irving  and  McCall  should  return  to  the 
theater;  and  as  for  me,  I  was  tired  and  would  seek  my  bed. 
And  heeding  no  remonstrances,  I  called  a  pony  chair  and  bade 
them  good-night. 

But  there  was  no  good  night  for  me.  Motionless  in  an 
easy  chair,  where  I  had  thrown  myself  as  I  entered  my  room, 
my  head  sunk  on  my  breast,  my  arms  hanging  listlessly  at  my 
side,  I  sat  for  hours  in  such  agony  of  soul  as  only  a  sensitive 
spirit  overwhelmed  with  a  flood  of  shame  can  know.  Ma 
demoiselle  was  lost  to  me  forever !  Of  that  I  was  as  certain 
as  if  I  had  heard  her  saying  so  to  me  in  that  voice  that  thrilled 
me  always  like  the  lower  'cello  tones  I  so  loved.  I  was  no 
better  than  any  low-born  brawler  in  her  sight.  She  would 
think,  no  doubt,  that  I  had  been  drinking;  perhaps  that  it  was 
my  custom  to  engage  in  brawls  of  the  kind.  She  would  never 
Avant  to  see  me  again ! 

My  fire  had  long  been  out  and  I  was  chilled  to  the  bone 
when,  sometime  in  the  early  morning  hours,  I  roused  myself 
from  my  stupor.  I  sprang  to  my  feet  and  began  pacing  my 
room  with  rapid  strides  to  restore  the  circulation  to  my  numbed 
limbs.  And  with  returning  action  came  returning  courage. 
All  need  not  be  lost,  irretrievably.  I  would  go  to  Mademoiselle ; 
I  would  make  my  humble  apologies.  I  would  bewail  my  pas 
sionate  temper  that  had  led  me  astray,  but  I  would  plead  in 
extenuation  that  it  was  because  I  had  felt  my  country  reviled 
in  my  person  that  I  had  gone  so  wild  with  rage. 

And  as  the  rushing  words  in  which  I  was  to  plead  my  cause 
came  racing  into  my  mind,  faster  and  faster  I  walked,  and 


3(>6  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

lighter  and  lighter  grew  my  heart,  until,  at  last,  I  found  my 
self  picturing  with  delight  the  sweetness  of  her  voice  and  smile 
when  she  should  utter  her  forgiving  words  and  take  me  back 
into  her  favor. 

The  old  moon,  the  pale  ghost  of  that  glorious  orb  that  had 
lighted  us  on  our  ride  from  Marriner's,  was  peering  in  my 
eastern  windows  (a  sign  that  dawn  was  near)  when  I  lay  down 
on  my  bed  in  a  happier  frame  of  mind  than  I  had  believed, 
six  hours  before,  I  would  ever  know  again.  "  Mademoiselle  is 
an  angel !  She  will  forgive !  "  was  the  burden  of  my  thoughts 
as  I  fell  asleep,  and  the  refrain  of  my  dreams  through  all  my 
troubled  slumber. 

At  five  o'clock  the  next  afternoon,  having  with  Scipio's  aid 
(Scipio  had  now  become  my  permanent  valet,  devoted  to  me 
body  and  soul)  made  a  more  careful  toilet,  or  rather  a  more 
anxious  one,  than  was  my  habit,  I  walked  down  the  Broadway 
to  the  Livingston  Mansion.  It  was  an  hour  at  which  I  was 
quite  sure  dinner  would  be  over  and  I  might  hope  to  find  Made 
moiselle  at  home.  It  was  only  a  short  walk,  but  hope  and 
dread,  fear  and  courage,  a  faint  heart  and  a  bold  one,  made  it 
seem  interminable. 

With  each  of  these  mingled  emotions  struggling  for  ascend 
ency,  I  lifted  the  heavy  brass  knocker  of  the  Livingston  door 
and  let  it  fall.  To  my  excited  imagination  it  gave  forth  a 
sound,  so  loud  and  long,  with  such  ghostly  echoes,  as  might 
have  waked  the  dead,  and  I  blushed  for  my  rudeness  in  not 
having  let  it  fall  more  gently,  as  was  proper,  I  knew,  in  calling 
on  a  lady ;  and  most  befitting  a  call  of  penitence. 

Yet  bold  as  had  been  my  summons  it  received  no  immediate 
answer,  which  surprised  me,  since  I  was  familiar  with  the  quick 
and  ready  service  required  in  the  Livingston  mansion.  I  was 
just  about  to  try  the  knocker  once  more,  when  the  door  was 
opened  by  the  same  sleepy  black  who  had  opened  it  for  me  on 
Thanksgiving  morning,  but  this  time  he  wore  no  livery,  which 
was  another  surprise. 

As  he  opened  the  door  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  wide  hall  and 
of  the  two  great  rooms  on  either  side.  Pictures,  Gobelin  tapes- 


I  WEAK  MY  HAT  IN  THE  PIT  367 

tries,  ornaments  in  bronze  and  Sevres,  of  which  the  house  was 
full,  sent  home  by  Mr.  Livingston  from  Paris;  chairs,  sofas, 
lusters  hanging  from  the  ceiling,  and  sconces  on  the  wall,  were 
all  shrouded  in  ghostly  white.  I  knew  very  well  what  the  an 
swer  to  my  question  would  be  before  I  asked  it: 

"  Are  the  ladies  at  home  ?  "  I  said. 

"  No,  sah,  dey  lef  foh  Clermon'  dis  mohnin'  by  de  Albany 
Post,  sah/' 

"  Do  you  know  when  they  will  return  ?  " 

"  Not  zackly,  sah.  Not  till  after  Christmas,  nohow.  Mebbe 
not  all  winter." 


XXIX 

A   LITTLE   ESQUIMAU 

I  HAVE  sometimes  wondered  what  would  have  become  of  me 
if  I  had  gone  back  to  the  City  Tavern  and  spent  that 
evening  alone  in  my  room.  I  was  in  a  desperate  mood.  Black 
despair  was  in  my  heart  and  such  a  sense  of  shame  as,  of  all 
the  emotions,  is  the  hardest  for  the  youthful  soul  to  endure. 
I  believed  I  had  disgraced  myself  irretrievably  —  Mademoiselle's 
going  away  proved  it.  And  added  to  all  the  black  burden  of 
shame  and  mortification,  my  soul  was  seething  with  an  un 
reasoning  anger  against  her  that  she  should  have  gone  away 
without  giving  me  a  chance  to  reinstate  myself. 

I  was  in  such  a  desperate  mood  that  when  I  reached  my  room 
and  found  there  a  note  awaiting  me  from  Mr.  Burr,  inviting 
me  to  spend  the  night  at  Eichmond  Hill,  I  had  no  thought, 
for  the  moment,  of  accepting  his  invitation.  I  had  called 
Scipio  to  be  in  readiness  to  take  my  answer,  and  my  note  re 
gretting  the  necessity  of  declining  was  half  written  when  I  let 
my  quill  fall  (making  a  huge  blot  on  my  paper)  and  began 
on  an  entirely  new  vein  of  thought. 

It  was  not  the  part  of  a  man,  I  said  to  myself,  to  allow  him 
self  to  be  crushed  by  any  blow,  however  severe.  It  was  a  man's 
place  to  mold  circumstance,  not  to  be  molded  by  it.  I  had 
made  a  mistake  in  giving  way  to  my  temper  at  the  theater  most 
childishly,  as  I  could  now  see,  but  to  sit  down  and  sulk  was; 
only  being  still  more  childish.  I  had  made  a  misstep.  I  would 
retrieve  it  to  the  best  of  my  ability. 

Mr.  Burr's  invitation,  if  I  was  to  accept  it,  needed  no  an 
swer,  therefore  I  tore  up  the  half-written  note  and  in  place  of 
it,  wrote  a  brief,  and  what  I  hoped  was  a  manly,  explanation 
and  apology  to  Mademoiselle,  in  which  I  said  those  things  I 

368 


A  LITTLE  ESQUIMAU  369 

had  planned  to  say  to  her  in  person  during  my  call.  The  post 
for  Albany  would  not  leave  again  for  three  days,  but  once  hav 
ing  determined  on  the  letter  I  could  not  postpone  the  writing 
of  it  for  a  moment,  and  once  written,  sealed  and  addressed,  I 
set  out  for  Eichmond  Hill  with  a  sense  of  relief  from  an  in 
tolerable  burden,  and  with  more  of  zest  for  my  anticipated 
visit  than  I  could  have  expected. 

It  seemed  that  Mr.  Burr  had  arrived  in  New  York  from 
Washington  the  day  before.  I  did  not,  at  first,  connect  my 
invitation  from  him  with  my  escapade  at  the  theater,  but  later 
I  learned  that  he  had  been  present;  and  I  believe  that  he  had 
divined  the  acuteness  of  my  mortification,  and  that  it  was 
from  generosity,  sympathy  and  benevolence  that  he  had  ex 
tended  his  invitation. 

Mr.  Burr  had  fascinated  me  from  the  first  moment  of  my 
acquaintance  with  him.  His  boyish  figure  and  dark,  smiling 
eyes,  the  wonderful  variety  and  breadth  of  his  information, 
and  a  certain  winning  trick  of  speech  had  proved  irresistible 
to  me.  Yet  often  when  I  was  away  from  his  direct  influence, 
when  I  could  think  and  judge  of  him  calmly,  I  was  not  sure 
he  was  a  man  to  be  trusted;  and  I  had  never  given  him  credit 
for  the  amiability,  the  genuine  goodness  of  heart,  that  his 
thoughtfulness  for  me  in  my  hour  of  distress  showed.  Later, 
with  all  the  world,  my  heart  was  full  of  anger  toward  him, 
but  still  later,  when  I  thought  of  him,  a  wanderer  and  almost 
an  outcast,  as  he  was  for  many  years,  with  no  man  speaking 
good  of  him,  I  remembered  his  kindness  to  a  friendless  lad  — 
for  so  I  imagined  myself  at  that  moment  to  be  —  and  I  could 
not  believe  him  to  be  all  bad. 

He  was  very  brilliant  that  evening  with  none  but  me  and  a 
young  Mr.  Van  Ness  to  hear  or  appreciate.  He  had  many 
tales  to  tell  us  of  his  life  in  Paris,  and  then  we  fell  to  dis 
cussing  the  poets  we  loved,  Wordsworth  and  Coleridge,  and 
Southey  and  Burns,  Cowper  and  Gray  and  the  older  ones.  He 
had  something  wise  and  witty  to  say  of  each  one,  and  he  paid 
me  the  compliment  of  listening  with  apparent  pleasure  to  all 
I  had  to  say  of  them  in  return. 
24 


370  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  he  said  he  must  start  for  Wash 
ington  the  day  after  New  Year's.  Business  of  importance  had 
called  him  away  from  the  capital  (I  believed  it  was  political 
business,  for  I  had  heard  that  he  was  hard  at  work  laying  all 
his  plans  for  the  spring  campaign  for  the  office  of  governor), 
but  that  it  would  be  absolutely  necessary  that  he  should  bo 
back  as  soon  after  the  opening  of  the  year  as  possible,  and  he 
invited  me  to  go  with  him. 

I  was  in  a  frame  of  mind  to  clutch  at  a  straw  like  that. 
Mademoiselle  Desloge,  I  believed,  would  not  be  back  in  New 
York  until  the  winter  was  over  —  what  was  the  gay  little  city 
to  me  without  her?  But,  more  than  that,  I  would  be  glad  to 
get  away  from  everyone  I  knew,  glad  to  hide  my  diminished 
head  among  strangers  in  a  strange  city.  I  would  have  gone 
even  more  gladly  if  it  had  been  on  the  morrow  we  were 
to  start.  As  Mr.  Van  Ness  was  not  in  the  room  when  the  in 
vitation  was  given,  I  did  not  hesitate  to  express  to  Mr.  Burr 
something  of  my  feeling  on  the  matter,  and  he  spoke  to  me 
of  my  experience  of  the  night  before. 

"  I  was  present  and  saw  it  all,"  he  said,  "  but  you  ought 
not  to  take  it  so  to  heart.  It  has  happened  to  many  a  yoimg 
blood  before,  and  all  who  saw  understood  it  perfectly.  You 
may  be  sure  that  if  there  were  any  of  your  friends  present, 
and  there  were  many  of  them,  I  know,  their  sympathies  were 
with  you  and  not  with  the  rabble." 

"  I  should  have  supposed  so,"  I  answered,  somewhat  bitterly, 
"but  I  have  seen  but  little  evidence  of  it." 

"  What ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  were  not  Irving,  Kemble,  McCall 
and  Ogden  all  that  was  kind  and  friendly?  Did  they  not  come 
to  your  rescue  at  once?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  I  answered  indifferently,  "  I  can  always  rely  on 
the  Lads  of  Kilkenny." 

"Ah,  you  refer,  I  suppose,  to  Miss  Livingston  and.  Miss 
Desloge  and  their  abrupt  departure  for  Clermont  ?  " 

I  had  not  supposed  he  knew  of  it,  and  I  was  silent,  not 
knowing  what  to  say,  for  it  was  their  silence  and  their  sudden 
departure  that  I  resented  so  keenly. 


A  LITTLE  ESQUIMAU  371 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  said  Mr.  Burr,  after  waiting  a  moment  for  a 
reply  from  me  and  getting  none,  "  let  me  give  you  a  maxim 
culled  from  much  experience  with  the  fair  sex  and  their  ways: 
Never  think  you  understand  them,  even  when  their  actions  seem 
to  speak  the  loudest.  Never  despair!  In  affairs  of  the  heart 
more  than  in  any  other  —  Perseverantia  omnia  vincit!  But, 
moreover,  I  would  add  for  your  encouragement,  she  who  runs 
away,  runs  because  she  knows  her  heart  is  in  danger.  Had  she 
not  feared  you  she  would  have  been  indifferent  to  you  and 
stuck  to  her  guns." 

He  spoke  jestingly,  but  somehow  his  words  inspired  me  with 
courage.  We  spoke  no  more  of  Miss  Desloge,  but  I  found  my 
self  for  the  rest  of  the  evening  in  a  much  better  frame  of  mind 
to  enjoy  his  keen  and  witty  observations  on  men  and  affairs. 
It  was  fully  ten  days  later  that  I  received  Miss  Desloge's  an 
swer  to  my  note,  and  by  that  time  I  had  so  often  conned  over 
to  myself  Mr.  Burr's  words  that  they  had  become  an  integral 
part  of  my  philosophy,  and  the  note  that  might  have 
angered  me  earlier,  I  now  regarded  as  one  of  the  feminine 
inexplicables,  only  to  be  interpreted  by  the  light  of  fuller  ex 
perience. 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  it  ran,  "  You  were  quite  right  to  call  your 
behavior  at  the  theater  childish.  If  I  were  a  man,  I  would 
not  offer  an  ungovernable  temper  as  an  excuse  for  any  such 
weakness.  It  is  all  right  to  possess  temper;  I  have  heard  it 
makes  a  man  strong,  but  to  be  possessed  by  it  is  all  wrong  and 
certainly  an  indication  of  weakness.  There  was  a  little  excuse, 
as  you  say,  because  you  considered  your  nation  insulted  in 
your  person.  I  can  sympathize  with  that  sense  of  loyalty  to 
one's  country,  but  I  believe  its  manifestation  was  a  mistake; 
it  helped  to  win  respect  neither  for  your  nation  nor  its  repre 
sentative.  The  whole  trouble,  of  course,  came  from  wearing 
your  hat.  If  you  will  insist  on  claiming  the  privileges  of  an 
aristocrat  in  a  democratic  country  you  must  take  the  conse 
quences;  but  I  hope  next  time  you  will  take  them  good- 
naturedly.  The  rabble  is  easily  controlled  by  imperturbable 


372  MISS  LIVINGSTONS  COMPANION 

good-humor,  but  is  as  easily  aroused  by  a  display  of  resentment, 
and  once  roused  is  an  ugly  beast  to  deal  with. 

"  Now,  I  fear  this  sounds  like  a  lecture.  Eegard  it  so,  if 
you  like,  but  remember  it  is  only  one  who  has  a  friend's  interest 
at  heart  who  dares  presume  to  lecture. 

"YOUR  LITTLE  ESQUIMAU." 

Now  there  was  much  in  this  note  to  inflame  a  quick  temper, 
and  I  felt  mine  flashing  in  waves  of  blood  to  my  temples  as  I 
read,  but  when  I  came  to  the  signature,  my  pulses  stood  still. 
My  "  little  Esquimau !  "  She  must  have  known  I  had  used 
those  words  as  a  term  of  endearment  in  our  game  of  blind  man's 
buff.  Was  she  willing  to  accept  the  title?  If  so,  she  accepted 
fill  it  signified,  and  for  a  while  I  was  in  a  turmoil  of  mingled 
hope  and  uncertainty,  keenest  delight  and  chilling  doubt. 

I  came  to  my  senses  at  last  by  recalling  Mr.  Burr's  words  — • 
"  Never  think  you  understand  a  woman,  even  when  her  actions 
seem  to  speak  loudest."  No  doubt  Miss  Desloge  had  used  the 
title  jestingly,  to  show  me  that  her  lecture  was  not  so  for 
midable  as  it  sounded.  At  any  rate,  I  was  not  going  to  rear  a 
mighty  structure  of  hope  on  such  a  slim  foundation.  I  an 
swered  the  note,  as  I  thought  necessary  —  in  any  correspond 
ence  the  lady  should  never  be  allowed  to  be  the  last  to  write  — 
and  I  thanked  her  for  the  lecture,  which  I  believed  was  well 
intended  and  I  hoped  taken  in  good  part.  I  pledged  myself 
to  try  to  profit  by  it,  and  I  hoped  hereafter  to  prove  myself  the 
possessor  of  a  temper,  not  possessed  by  one. 

All  that  was  very  cool  and  didactic  —  it  meant  nothing  but 
the  commonplaces  of  polite  usage.  But  I  audaciously  began 
my  note,  "  My  dear  Little  Esquimau,"  and  I  signed  myself, 
"  Faithfully  yours,  Lionel  Marchmont." 

I  had  not  expected  an  answer  to  this,  and  I  did  not  receive 
one.  Christmas  was  at  hand,  New  Year's  would  follow  quickly, 
and  the  day  after  New  Year's  I  was  to  start  for  Washington. 
When  would  I  ever  see  Miss  Desloge  again?  If  only  Miss 
Livingston  would  take  it  into  her  head,  or  rather  her  heart, 
to  invite  me  up  to  Clermont  to  spend  the  Yuletide.  I  watched 


A  LITTLE  ESQUIMAU  373 

each  Albany  post  day  with  longing,  but  no  such  summons  came. 
Instead,  there  came  an  invitation  from  Mrs.  Hamilton  to  come 
out  to  the  Grange  on  Christmas  Eve  and  spend  Christmas  and 
the  day  following.  I  arrived,  like  a  veritable  Santa  Glaus, 
with  my  sleigh  piled  high  with  toys  for  the  children,  for  I  had 
learned  that  in  America  the  German  fashion  of  celebrating 
Christmas  with  gifts  prevailed  rather  than  our  English  cus 
toms.  I  found  the  house  decorated  with  holly  and  mistletoe, 
which  looked  more  like  home  to  me  than  anything  I  had  seen 
in  America,  but  I  wondered  where  it  came  from,  since  I  had 
seen  none  growing  in  the  country.  Mr.  Hamilton  had  had  a 
barrel  of  it  shipped  from  his  native  Carribees,  he  said,  and  that 
evening,  the  house  being  full  of  a  gay  party  of  young  people 
from  the  city,  all  of  whom  I  knew  well,  I  kissed,  at  various 
times,  at  least  six  maidens  under  the  great  branch  of  mistletoe 
that  hung  suspended  from  the  middle  luster  in  the  long  draw 
ing-room.  One  of  the  six  was  Angelica,  and  I  was  sorry,  the 
moment  after,  that  I  had  done  it;  for  she  flushed  scarlet  and 
then  turned  pale,  and  I  caught  Mr.  Hamilton  eyeing  me  keenly, 
as  if  he  had  noted  her  signs  of  distress  and  liked  it  not.  She 
was  the  apple  of  his  eye ;  never  have  I  seen  father  and  daughter 
in  such  perfect  sympathy  (unless,  indeed,  I  except  Mr.  Burr 
and  his  daughter),  and  while  he  was  a  fond  father  to  all  his 
children,  toward  her  he  showed  ever  a  peculiar  tenderness. 

I  was  sorry  I  had  kissed  Angelica,  since  neither  father  nor 
daughter  was  pleased  thereby,  and  yet  it  was  not  a  thing  to 
apologize  for,  not  only  had  I  kissed  many  others  in  the  gay 
romp  of  the  evening,  but  Mr.  Hamilton  himself  had  neg 
lected  no  chance  to  steal  a  kiss  from  any  young  and  pretty 
maiden  who  happened  inadvertently  to  stand  for  a  moment 
under  the  mistletoe.  Indeed,  never  had  I  seen  him  in  such  gay 
spirits.  He  was  down  on  all  fours  to  let  his  youngest  boy 
ride  him  as  a  horse  when  the  company  arrived,  and  rose  to  his 
feet  perfectly  unabashed  to  greet  them  with  all  the  grace  of  a 
courtier.  He  galloped  through  a  country  dance  with  a  pretty 
Miss  Bayard  and  led  the  Virginia  reel  (which  was  a  new  dance 
to  me)  with  a  stately  Miss  De  Lancey. 


374  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

Mrs.  Hamilton  sat  in  a  corner  and  talked  with  Mr.  Troup 
and  Gouverneur  Morris,  also  home  from  Washington  for  the 
holidays,  smiling  with  affected  tolerance  at  all  her  husband's 
pranks  (I  believe  secretly  they  delighted  her  soul)  ;  and  there 
was  not  a  belle  nor  a  beauty  there  but  was  prouder  of  his 
attentions  and  open  admiration  than  if  they  had  been  from  any 
of  us  younger  men.  How  little  any  of  us  thought,  he  least  of 
all,  that  this  was  to  be  his  last  Christmas.  And  what  a  blessed 
thing  it  is  for  all  of  us  that  the  future  is  so  closely  veiled  from 
us;  that  we  cannot  see  even  one  step  ahead.  Had  his  wife 
and  children  known  what  lay  scarcely  six  months  ahead  of  them, 
there  would  have  been  nothing  but  anguish  of  soul  for  them 
at  that  happy  Christmas  tide;  and,  as  it  was,  I  believe  it  must 
ever  be  one  of  their  most  blessed  memories  —  the  joyous  spirit 
with  which  he  entered  into  all  the  innocent  merriment  of  the 
season. 

Christmas  Day,  if  not  quite  so  hilarious  as  Christmas  Eve, 
was  full  of  delight.  I  was  made  one  of  the  family  with  such 
cordiality  as  could  not  but  touch  the  heart  of  a  lad  so  far  from 
home  and  just  a  little  homesick  at  the  Yuletide.  The  children 
shared  their  gifts  with  me  and  made  me  a  partner  in  their 
games,  and  I,  who  had  never  had  brothers  or  sisters,  who  am 
a  great  lover  of  children  and  yet  had  come  but  little  into  close 
contact  with  them,  found  this  one  of  the  keenest  pleasures  of 
the  day.  We  spent  the  morning,  or  the  better  part  of  it,  coast 
ing  down  a  hill  so  steep  and  long  it  quite  took  my  breath  away 
the  first  time  I  tried  it,  and  I  thought  it  a  dangerous  pastime 
for  such  young  children.  But  Mr.  Hamilton  did  not  seem  to 
think  so,  and  still  less  did  the  children,  to  whom  it  was  an  old 
story  and  all  its  perils  too  familiar  to  daunt  them.  The  joy 
of  flying  through  the  air  down  that  steep  descent  with  the 
swiftness  of  the  wind  would  have  lost  half  its  zest  to  the  chil 
dren  if  their  father  had  not  shared  it  with  them,  and  it  was 
a  marvel  to  me  to  see  the  great  statesman,  whose  name 
was  honored  in  every  civilized  nation  on  the  globe,  a  boy  among 
his  children,  and  to  all  appearance,  the  happiest  and  most  care 
free  of  them  all. 


A  LITTLE  ESQUIMAU  375 

I  was  thoroughly  tired,  and  Mr.  Hamilton,  I  have  no  doubt, 
more  so  (though  the  children  seemed  as  fresh  as  at  the  start), 
when  Mrs.  Hamilton  sent  a  black  boy  to  call  us  into  the  house. 
Such  flaming  cheeks  and  sparkling  eyes !  Even  the  fair,  pale 
Angelica  was  all  aglow,  and  more  like  a  glorious  rose  than  a 
delicate  lily.  It  is  the  only  time  I  ever  remember  to  have  seen 
her  in  the  abandon  of  youthful  glee,  for  it  seemed  to  me  al 
ways  that  a  sad  and  anxious  soul  dwelt  in  those  somber  young 
eyes. 

And  if  we  had  gathered  roses  on  the  snow  hill,  still  more 
had  we  found  a  keen  hunger.  A  glass  of  milk  for  the  children 
and  an  eggnog  served  from  an  immense  crystal  punch  bowl  to 
the  older  ones,  was  all  Mrs.  Hamilton  would  allow  us  to  dull 
the  edge  of  our  hunger.  She  was  not  going  to  have  her  great 
Christmas  dinner  spoiled  by  any  nibbling  between  meals.  It 
was  still  an  hour  until  dinner  time  and  that,  after  all,  proved 
almost  the  pleasantest  hour  of  the  long,  delightful  day.  Mr. 
Hamilton  invited  me  into  his  study.  Angelica  followed  her 
father  as  a  matter  of  course,  but  she  sat  on  a  low  stool  at  his 
side  and  took  no  part  in  the  conversation,  only  watching  her 
father  with  rapt  eyes  that  let  no  word  he  spoke,  nor  the  slight 
est  change  of  his  expression,  escape  her. 

I  had  found  Mr.  Burr  brilliant  and  fascinating.  I  found 
Mr.  Hamilton  something  better.  Mr.  Burr  had  talked  of  men 
and  singled  out  their  foibles  with  keen  and  caustic  wit.  Mr. 
Hamilton  talked  not  of  men  but  of  measures.  He  was  full  of 
great  ideas  of  broad  statesmanship,  and  as  he  talked  I  saw 
the  whole  political  world  of  Europe  and  America  laid  out  be 
fore  me  as  a  map.  I  saw  more  clearly  than  I  had  ever  before 
seen,  the  causes,  reaching  back  hundreds  of  years,  for  our  per 
petual  quarrel  with  France.  I  saw  Bonaparte's  motives  laid 
bare  in  every  move  he  had  made,  and  I  saw  the  mistakes  on 
our  side.  Especially  did  he  show  me  the  vital  defect  in  the 
Orders  of  Council,  which  were  new  then,  and  which  all  Eng 
land  believed  were  to  prove  most  efficacious,  but  which  all 
England  was  not  long  in  discovering  bore  more  hardly  on  the 
farmer  and  merchant  at  home  than  they  possibly  could  on  any 


376  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

foreigner.  It  was  a  marvelous  mind  of  whose  powers  I  was 
permitted  a  moment's  glimpse,  and  that  hour  before  dinner 
will  always  remain  one  of  the  proudest  of  my  life,  that  so  great 
a  statesman  should  think  it  worth  while  to  squander  his  wealth 
of  ideas  on  so  young  a  man. 

It  may  be  that  I  did  not  see  Mr.  Burr  at  his  best;  it  may 
be  he  did  not  consider  me  worthy  of  his  best,  but  the  conversa 
tion  that  had  appeared  to  me  so  brilliant,  as  I  listened  to  it 
that  evening  at  Eichmond  Hill,  seemed  to  me  now  as  glittering 
tinsel  in  contrast  with  the  rich  and  mighty  flow  of  thought  I 
listened  to  that  Christmas  morning.  And  I  came  to  the  con 
clusion  that  Mr.  Burr  was  a  brilliant  politician,  but  Mr.  Hamil 
ton  was  a  great  statesman.  Of  course,  I  have  long  since  known 
that  so  the  judgment  of  the  world  has  classed  the  two  men, 
but  I  have  always  been  a  little  proud  to  think  that  I  discovered 
it  for  myself  before  I  knew  the  judgment  of  the  world. 

I  left  the  Grange  the  next  morning,  feeling  that  I  had  known 
and  loved  this  family  for  years,  and  nothing  could  have  been 
kinder  and  more  cordial  than  the  way  in  which  they  tried  to 
persuade  me  that  I  had  given  them  more  pleasure  than  they 
had  given  me.  I  hardly  dared  to  ask  so  great  a  man  to  visit 
my  father  at  Clover  Combe  Court,  but  when  I  found  courage 
to  urge  a  request  I  had  begun  to  set  my  heart  on  (I  longed  to 
have  my  father  know  Mr.  Hamilton  and  hardly  less  did  I  want 
him  to  know  Mrs.  Hamilton,  for  my  father  was  ever  a  lover  of 
a  charming  woman),  when  I  found  the  courage  to  utter  all  this, 
Mr.  Hamilton  sighed  or  pretended  to. 

"  It  has  been  the  dream  of  my  life,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  said,  "  to 
take  Mrs.  Hamilton  to  England  some  day,  and  to  Scotland,  the 
land  of  my  forebears,  but  I  stayed  in  public  life  too  long.  A 
man  who  devotes  himself  to  the  welfare  of  his  country  must 
necessarily  neglect  the  welfare  of  his  family.  I  am  a  poor  man ; 
but  I  have  left  public  life  now  for  good  and  I  am  attending 
strictly  to  my  own  business,  and  in  a  very  few  years,  if  health 
and  strength  are  spared,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  take  my  wife  and 
my  seven  children  abroad.  Will  your  invitation  hold  good  for 
such  a  distance  in  time  and  for  such  an  army  of  guests?  " 


A  LITTLE  ESQUIMAU  377 

He  laughed  his  boyish  laugh  as  he  finished  speaking. 

"  For  all  time  and  for  as  many  as  you  will  bring,"  I  answered. 
"  The  more  you  bring  the  better  pleased  my  father  and  I 
will  be." 

The  rest  of  that  Christmas  week  passed  in  a  round  of  festivi 
ties.  The  city  was  a  little  Paris  in  its  gay  social  life.  I  had 
hardly  time  to  think  of  Mademoiselle,  and  yet  there  was  never 
a  dinner  or  a  ball  but  I  watched  eagerly  to  see  if  by  some 
happy  chance  I  might  not  see  Miss  Livingston  and  Miss  Des- 
loge  among  the  arriving  guests.  But  I  looked  in  vain.  New 
Year's  day  arrived  and  on  the  very  next  morning  I  was  to  start 
for  Washington  with  Mr.  Burr  —  it  would  be  months,  now, 
before  I  could  hope  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  her,  and  in  the  mean 
time  what  might  not  happen?  Wherever  she  went,  she  was 
surrounded  by  eager  admirers,  who  might  at  any  moment  be 
come  ardent  suitors,  and  perhaps,  at  last,  one  of  them  a  suc 
cessful  one. 

The  Lads  of  Kilkenny  were  to  spend  New  Year's  day  in 
making  calls  together.  It  is  a  pretty  custom  that  we  do  not 
have  at  home,  and  is  a  survival,  I  believe,  from  the  old  Dutch 
times,  when  New  York  was  New  Amsterdam.  We  were  to 
make  an  early  start,  for  there  were  many  calls  to  be  made,  and 
promptly  at  ten  o'clock  the  little  procession  of  three  carioles, 
gay  with  nodding  plumes  and  rich  fur  robes  and  jingling  bells, 
started  from  Tammany  Hall,  where  we  had  all  gathered.  There 
were  calls  to  be  made  on  Williams  Street  and  Queen  Street, 
Wall,  Broad  and  half  a  dozen  other  streets,  to  say  nothing  of 
calls  at  such -villas  as  were  not  too  distant  on  the  Bowery  and 
Bloomingdale  Roads.  We  were  to  leave  the  Broadway  to  the 
last,  since  it  would  be  nearer  home  to  most  of  us  than  the  other 
streets. 

And  thus  it  happened  that  it  was  growing  quite  dark,  and 
the  carioles,  dashing  up  and  down  the  Broadway  at  feverish 
speed,  were  many  of  them  already  lighted  by  flaring  torches 
set  in  links  in  the  dashboards,  and  our  long  list  of  calls  was 
almost  ended,  when  we  drew  up  before  the  Livingston  mansion. 
Now  I  had  passed  that  house  every  evening  since  the  sudden 


378  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

departure  for  Clermont,  always  hoping  I  might  find  it  lighted 
and  the  owners  returned;  but  always  to  find  it  cold  and  dark 
and  the  shutters  closely  barred.  Now  as  I  glanced  up  at  the 
house  with  an  idle  wonder  as  to  why  we  had  stopped  there,  to 
my  amazement  it  was  a  blaze  of  light  from  attic  to  cellar. 

Irving  sat  next  to  me  in  the  cariole. 

"  Did  you  know  they  had  returned  ?  "  I  asked  sharply. 

"  Of  course  I  knew  it,"  he  answered ;  "  we  all  knew  it,  but 
we  were  keeping  it  as  a  surprise  for  you.  I  hope  you  like  our 
surprise  ?  " 

He  spoke  with  a  laugh  in  his  voice;  he  never  doubted  I 
would  like  it.  But  I  was  not  so  sure.  Now  that  I  knew  that 
in  another  moment,  in  all  probability,  I  would  be  ushered  into 
her  presence,  I  trembled  and  would  have  liked  to  run  away. 
All  New  York  had  seemed  to  forget  my  escapade  in  the  Park 
Theater,  but  I  was  not  sure  that  she  had  forgotten  it  —  or  for 
given  it.  Moreover,  here  had  I  been  all  day  long  driving 
through  the  frosty  air,  rushing  into  warm  houses,  talking  a 
few  minutes  with  pretty  ladies  in  pretty  frocks,  sipping  wine, 
or  punch,  or  coffee,  as  the  case  might  be,  rushing  out  again 
through  the  keen  air,  into  my  furs  and  out  of  them,  and  it  was 
impossible  that  I  could  look  as  fresh  and  immaculate  as  I  would 
like  to  appear  before  her.  Between  the  oft-repeated  wine  and 
the  long  day  of  driving  through  the  keen  air,  face  and  eyes 
must  be  more  or  less  flushed,  and  what  with  doffing  of  hat  and 
coat  and  donning  them  again  repeatedly,  neither  hair  nor  lace 
ruffles  nor  ribbons  could  help  but  be  more  or  less  disheveled. 
We  had  stopped  twice  for  repairs  during  the  day,  once  at  Kem- 
ble's  house  and  once  at  my  rooms  in  the  City  Tavern,  and  I 
wished  we  might  go  back  to  my  rooms  once  more  and  get  our 
selves  decently  in  order  before  making  this  last  and  most  im 
portant  call.  But  there  was  no  chance  given  me  to  propose 
it.  Ogden  and  McCall  and  Kemble,  who  had  been  in  the 
cariole  ahead,  were  already  on  the  steps  and  lifting  the  heavy 
brass  knocker,  which  presently  resounded  up  and  down  the 
street. 

"  Come  on,  lads ! "  Ogden  shouted,  and  at  the  same  instant 


A  LITTLE  ESQUIMAU  379 

the  door  flew  open  and  we  must  hasten  lest  we  be  so  unmannerly 
as  to  keep  the  door  standing  wide  for  us  and  giving  entrance 
to  wintry  blasts. 

In  the  hall,  where  we  stopped  to  be  helped  out  of  our  furs, 
I  caught  a  glimpse  of  myself  in  a  mirror  that  hung  above  the 
table  and  was  somewhat  reassured.  My  cheeks  were  rosy  and 
my  eyes  were  shining,  but  not  from  wine,  I  believed:  I  had 
taken  little  of  it,  fearing  the  effect  of  repeated  draughts. 
It  was  the  keen  air  that  had  set  them  glowing,  or,  perhaps, 
the  excitement  of  anticipation.  My  curls  were  somewhat  dis 
ordered,  but  I  thought  not  unbecomingly  so,  and  my  ruffles 
were  in  better  condition. than  I  could  have  hoped.  I  had  made 
a  swift  resolution  while  I  was  getting  out  of  my  furs  and 
straightening  curls  and  ruffles  —  I  would  be  the  last  to  enter, 
and  I  would  carry  it  off  with  a  brave  face ;  neither  Mademoiselle, 
nor  the  keenly  critical  Miss  Livingston,  should  be  able  to  guess 
how  my  pulses  were  leaping  and  my  nerves  quivering. 

Fortunately,  I  thought,  there  were  a  number  of  other  ladies 
receiving  with  Miss  Livingston  and  Miss  Desloge,  enough  to 
keep  the  other  men  engaged  and  give  me  a  chance  to  speak 
to  Miss  Desloge  alone.  I  purposely  left  her  for  the  last,  that 
I  might  take  all  the  time  I  wanted. 

I  fancied  there  was  the  slightest  shade  of  embarrassment  in 
her  manner  as  she  swept  me  a  curtsy  in  response  to  my  low  bow. 

"  A  happy  New  Year  to  you,  Mademoiselle,"  I  said. 

"  May  you  be  happy,  also  —  and  successful !  "  she  returned. 

I  thought  her  last  two  words  were  an  afterthought,  but  they 
were  none  the  less  pleasant  to  hear. 

"  I  shall  not  be  happy  unless  I  am  successful,"  I  replied  with 
a  glance  whose  meaning  she  could  not  mistake.  "  But  tell 
me,  please,  do  the  inhabitants  of  the  Arctic  regions  always 
drop  down  on  their  friends  in  this  unexpected  fashion?  Why 
did  you  not  let  me  know  you  intended  to  return  ?  " 

A  quick  wave  of  color  showed  she  understood.  I  could  not 
call  her  "  my  little  Esquimau  "  in  public,  but  I  boldly  reminded 
her  that  I  still  claimed  her  so. 

"If  you  mean  Miss  Livingston  and  myself  by  'inhabitants 


380  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

of  the  Arctic  regions/  "  she  said  quickly,  "  we  must  plead  guilty, 
I  fear,  to  a  liking  to  surprise  our  friends." 

"  No,  I  did  not  include  Miss  Livingston,"  I  murmured,  look 
ing  straight  into  her  eyes;  "there  is  only  one  woman  in  the 
world  to  whom  I  would  give  that  title." 

"  It  sounds  a  cold  and  frigid  one,"  she  answered  with  a 
saucy  smile ;  "  I  hope  that  '  only '  woman  does  not  shiver  when 
she  hears  it." 

"  I  hope  not,  indeed,"  I  answered ;  "  I  would  be  sorry  to  have 
her  grow  any  colder  than  she  has  already  proved  herself.  But, 
Miss  Desloge,  I  am  very  sure  my  time  is  limited;  five  minutes 
has  been  the  length  of  most  of  our  calls  to-day  and  the  five 
minutes  is  more  than  up.  I  want  to  tell  you  seriously  how 
hurt  and  disappointed  I  am  that  you  did  not  let  me  know  you 
were  to  return  at  the  New  Year." 

"  Can  it  make  much  difference  ? "  she  asked  with  adorable 
shyness.  "  We  are  to  be  here  all  winter." 

"  Worse  and  worse  !  "  I  groaned. 

"Why?" 

"  I  leave  to-morrow  to  be  gone  all  winter." 

I  could  not  be  mistaken,  she  turned  pale  for  a  moment,  and 
for  a  moment  she  was  silent.  Then  she  said  softly : 

"  Could  you  not  delay  your  departure,  for  a  few  days  at 
least?" 

"  I  am  promised  to  set  out  for  Washington  with  the  Vice- 
president  to-morrow  morning,"  I  answered  her  gloomily.  "  I 
do  not  see  how  I  can  break  an  engagement  with  him  at  this 
late  hour." 

She  was  silent  again  as  if  trying  to  plan  something,  which 
she  gave  up  finally. 

"Well,"  she  said  at  last,  with  a  little  sigh  of  resignation, 
"  'T  is  the  fate  of  all  surprisers  to  be  themselves  the  surprised 
ones,  and  not  always  agreeably.  But  your  calls  must  be  finished 
by  this  hour.  You  will  at  least  stay  and  spend  the  evening 
with  us?" 

I  shook  my  head  and  glanced  at  a  large  gilt  clock  on  the 
mantel. 


A  LITTLE  ESQUIMAU  381 

"  In  five  minutes,  according  to  that  French  time-piece  yonder, 
we  are  to  start  for  Cockloft  Hall,  where  the  Lads  of  Kilkenny 
are  to  spend  the  first  night  of  the  New  Year  together." 

"  Miss  Livingston,"  said  Miss  Desloge,  raising  her  voice  a 
little  to  call  the  attention  of  Miss  Livingston,  who  stood  a  little 
ways  from  her  talking  to  Kemble,  "  Sir  Lionel  is  very  anxious 
to  see  that  century  plant  just  coming  into  bloom  in  the  con 
servatory.  May  I  show  it  to  him  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  Miss  Livingston,  regarding  me  curiously 
and  bestowing  on  me  an  enigmatical  smile. 

"  I  will  give  you  just  five  minutes,  Green,"  Kemble  called 
to  me  as  we  turned  toward  the  conservatory.  "  In  five  minutes 
we  start  for  Cockloft  Hall,  you  know." 

In  the  conservatory  I  barely  glanced  at  the  century  plant. 

"  Well  ?  "  I  said,  turning  to  Mademoiselle. 

"  Do  not  go  to  Cockloft  Hall,"  she  said,  looking  up  at  me, 
her  soft  brown  eyes  full  of  gentle  pleading. 

It  was  what  I  was  longing  to  do,  to  stay  with  her  this  last 
evening  in  New  York  and  give  up  the  night  of  roystering  it 
was  sure  to  prove  at  Cockloft  Hall.  But  I  steeled  my  heart. 
She  was  asking  much.  Would  she  give  as  much? 

"  Mademoiselle,"  I  said,  "  it  is  asking  a  great  deal,  is  it  not, 
to  ask  me  to  break  an  engagement  with  a  party  of  friends  who 
are  depending  on  me?" 

"  It  is  a  test  of  friendship,"  she  urged  softly. 

"  It  is  more,  Mademoiselle,"  I  answered  boldly ;  "  it  is  a  proof 
of  love.  And  it  is  a  proof  I  am  very  willing  to  give  you,  if  you 
will  accept  it." 

She  hesitated  long  before  she  answered,  and  I,  watching  her 
keenly,  took  it  as  a  favorable  sign.  When  had  she  ever  hesi 
tated  before?  She  had  always  been  quick  enough  heretofore 
with  her  — "  I  will  never  marry  anyone  but  one  of  my  own 
countrymen  " —  was  she  going  to  change  that  now  ?  My  heart 
was  going  like  a  trip  hammer,  but  outwardly  I  was  calm  enough. 
Never  had  she  looked  so  beautiful  to  me  —  her  light  dress,  of 
palest  green  and  silver,  and  her  wonderful  red  gold  hair, 
brought  out  vividly  by  the  dark  background  of  palms  and 


383  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

camellia  plants,  her  long  lashes  lying  on  her  softly  rounded 
cheek  where  the  color  was  coming  and  going  and  the  scarlet 
bow  of  her  lips  slightly  parted  to  let  the  quick  breath  through. 
I  could  see  she  was  strongly  moved.  Never  before  had  I  seen 
in  her  such  signs  of  emotion,  and  I  gathered  hope  with  every 
waiting  second.  But  at  last  she  lifted  her  eyes  and  looked  at 
me  sadly. 

"I  see,"  she  said  slowly,  "you  must  go  to  Cockloft  Hall," 
and  sighed  as  she  spoke. 

It  was  my  turn  to  let  my  eyes  fall  and  be  silent  for  a  mo 
ment.  I  could  not  let  her  see  the  bitter  disappointment  I  knew 
they  betrayed.  But  in  a  moment  I  had  myself  well  under 
control. 

"  Very  well,  Mademoiselle,"  I  said  lightly,  "  it  is  as  you 
decree." 

"  Time  's  up !  "  called  Kemble's  voice  from  the  drawing-room. 

"  Coming ! "  I  called  in  return,  and  turned  toward  the  draw 
ing-room  as  I  spoke. 

"  But  surely  you  are  not  going  without  saying  good-by," 
Mademoiselle  exclaimed  quickly,  coming  toward  me  with  ex 
tended  hand,  anxiety,  regret,  sorrow,  shyness,  daring  —  many 
mingled  emotions  in  her  soft  brown  eyes. 

I  took  her  hand  in  both  of  mine: 

"  No,  Mademoiselle,  I  am  not  going  without  saying  good-by. 
I  would  not  be  going  at  all  did  you  not  decree  it.  But  it  is 
not  ( Good-by,  Mademoiselle/  it  is  '  Au  revoir  —  my  little 
Esquimau/  r' 

And  as  I  spoke  I  looked  straight  into  her  eyes,  defiance  in 
my  glance. 

Her  eyes  fell  beneath  my  glowing  look,  her  whole  form 
drooped,  but  she  would  not  utter  one  word. 

I  lifted  to  my  lips  the  hand  I  was  still  holding  between  both 
of  mine,  and  as  I  dropped  it  I  offered  her  my  arm,  formally. 

"  Shall  we  go  back  to  the  drawing-room,  Mademoiselle  ?  "  I 
said. 


XXX 

CAPTAIN  SKINNER  REAPPEARS 

MR.  BURR  was  at  the  gates  of  Cockloft  Hall  in  his  cariole 
the  next  morning  at  eleven.  On  horseback,  behind,  rode 
Scipio  leading  Saladin ;  for  we  had  driven  out  to  Cockloft  Hall 
in  our  sleighs  the  night  before,,  and  Scipio  and  Saladin  were 
both  to  go  with  me  to  Washington. 

We  were  to  stop  two  days  in  Philadelphia:  I  to  make  a 
promised  visit  to  Lloyd,  Mr.  Burr  to  visit  some  young  lady  in 
whom,  for  the  time  being  (for  I  had  heard  his  affections  were 
fickle),  he  was  most  deeply  interested.  I  had  been  wretchedly 
unhappy,  in  leaving  New  York,  at  the  thought  that  I  was 
leaving  Mademoiselle  behind  me  for  the  whole  long  winter, 
but  now  that  my  face  was  really  set  toward  my  journey's  end, 
my  spirits  rose  with  the  eagerness  of  youth  for  new  scenes  and 
untried  experiences. 

I  was  particularly  eager  to  make  this  little  visit  to  Lloyd 
in  his  own  home,  and  never  did  I  spend  two  days  mdre  delight 
fully.  His  family  lived  in  a  great  house  on  Sixth  Street,  and 
there  was  every  evidence  of  immense  wealth  in  the  home,  its 
furnishings,  equipages,  horses,  and  black  servants  without  num 
ber.  I  had  found  nothing  finer  in  New  York  than  their  man 
ner  of  living,  and  yet  there  was  a  difference,  which  I  suppose 
was  due  to  the  difference  between  the  two  cities.  The  Phila 
delphia  establishment  seemed  to  me  less  ostentatious.  It  im 
pressed  me  not  so  much  with  its  magnificence  as  with  its  quiet 
elegance. 

But  it  was  Lloyd's  family  that  impressed  me  most  and  de 
lighted  me  greatly.  His  father  must  have  been,  in  his  youth, 
another  such  man  as  his  son,  and  even  in  his  advanced  years 
and  broken  health  he  was  still  a  magnificent  ruin,  with  a  fine 

383 


384  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

manner  that  is  an  inheritance,  or  a  gift  of  the  gods  —  it  comes 
not  by  training.  His  mother  was  still  beautiful  and  the 
gentlest  speaking  creature  I  have  ever  known,  which  I  suppose 
was  due  to  her  Quaker  blood,  for  though  she  dressed  richly,  it 
was  in  soft  grays  and  drabs,  and  she  used  the  pretty  "  thee  " 
and  "  thou "  of  the  Friends.  His  two  sisters  were  not  yet 
"  out/'  and,  of  course,  they  were  shy  in  talking  to  a  young  man, 
though  they  were  without  the  awkwardness  I  have  sometimes 
noted  in  our  girls  at  home,  not  yet  out  of  the  schoolroom.  I 
was  sure  they  would  both  be  beauties  and  belles  when  they 
were  once  in  society,  for  both  were  as  beautiful  as  Lloyd  was 
handsome,  with  the  same  brilliant  coloring  in  hair  and  com 
plexion.  It  was  evident  they  idolized  their  big  brother,  and 
when  they  had  overcome  their  first  shyness  they  had  many 
tales  to  tell  me  of  his  prowess  and  his  goodness. 

They  were  all  so  kind  to  me  (for  Lloyd's  sake)  they  would 
hardly  let  me  go  when  my  two  days  were  up,  and  indeed  it 
was  with  real  regret  I  tore  myself  away.  I  would  have  liked 
much  to  make  a  longer  visit  and  I  gladly  promised  them  an 
other  and  a  longer  one  before  I  should  return  to  England. 

We  made  rapid  progress  for  the  rest  of  our  way  to  Washing 
ton,  changing  horses  frequently,  and  pushing  on  so  rapidly 
that  late  the  first  night  out  from  Philadelphia  we  reached 
Baltimore  and  put  up  at  the  Fountain  Hotel.  It  was  mid 
night  when  we  arrived,  but  they  were  expecting  Mr.  Burr,  and 
we  sat  down  at  that  late  hour  to  a  dinner  of  canvasback  duck, 
terrapin  and  oysters,  famous  Baltimore  dishes,  cooked  and 
served  in  a  wonderful  style  such  as  'I  never  expect  to  see  or 
taste  again. 

Mr.  Burr  and  Lloyd  had  both  prepared  me  for  a  Washington 
of  huts,  barracks,  and  mud  flats,  but  it  was  a  little  more  for 
lorn  than  I  had  expected  to  find  it.  Yet  among  the  huts  and 
barracks  there  were  a  few  palaces,  and  many  delightful  people, 
some  of  whom  I  had  met  before.  My  old  acquaintance,  Mr. 
Gouverneur  Morris,  was  there  in  the  senate,  supplementing 
whatever  the  Vice-president  left  undone  in  the  way  of  intro 
ductions  and  attentions,  though  I  am  bound  to  say  Mr.  Burr 


CAPTAIN"  SKINNER  REAPPEARS      385 

was  a  most  considerate  and  attentive  friend.  I  was  not  his 
guest  in  Washington.  It  had  seemed  to  me  best  to  find  quarters 
in  an  inn,  where  I  could  be  more  independent  than  in  the  home 
of  a  friend,  and  I  had  found  comfortable  rooms  in  the  very 
tavern  where  Lloyd  had  put  up  during  his  brief  visit  to  Wash 
ington  the  winter  before,  to  which  he  had  recommended  me, 
and  particularly  to  the  good  graces  of  an  old  negro  factotum  of 
the  inn,  Bandy  Jim.  When  Bandy  Jim  learned  that  I  knew 
"  Marse  Lloyd,"  and  was  the  bearer  of  messages  from  him,  he 
became  my  devoted  slave  on  the  spot,  adopted  Scipio  as  his  son, 
and  nothing  in  the  hotel  or  out  of  it,  that  he  could  lay  hands 
on,  was  too  good  for  Scipio  or  his  master. 

My  two  months  in  Washington,  which  I  had  looked  forward 
to  with  some  dread,  fled  rapidly.  I  was  daily  meeting  dis 
tinguished  men  and  charming  women;  there  were  balls  and 
dinners  to  pass  the  evenings;  there  were  always  the  sessions 
of  Congress  to  absorb  the  hours  of  the  morning.  I  was  often 
at  the  presidential  palace  for  dinner,  for  the  President  seemed 
to  have  taken  a  liking  to  me,  perhaps  because  I  was  the  bearer 
of  a  letter  of  introduction  to  him  from  Lloyd  —  for  no  one 
ever  met  Lloyd  without  liking  him. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  a  great  lover  of  horses  and  took  his  regular 
exercise  on  horseback  every  morning,  and  several  times,  at  his 
invitation,  I  accompanied  him.  On  the  first  of  these  rides,  I 
noticed  him  eyeing  Saladin  curiously,  but  it  did  not  for  a  time 
occur  to  me  that  Saladin  had  been  his  gift  to  William  Jay 
from  his  own  stables  in  Monticello,  sent  to  William,  I  heard 
afterwards,  for  the  sake  of  his  mother,  whom  the  President 
greatly  admired. 

"  You  have  a  fine  horse,  I  see,"  Mr.  Jefferson  said,  when  we 
were  riding  that  first  morning  out  toward  Georgetown,  a  pretty 
village  on  the  heights,  with  some  fine  residences. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  answered,  "  but  he  does  not  belong  to  me ;  he 
is  loaned  me  by  a  friend." 

"  Ah !  "  he  said.  "  Your  friend  must  love  you  much,  or 
trust  you  greatly,  to  lend  you  so  fine  an  animal." 

"  I  hope  both,  sir,"  I  answered.  "  But  my  friend  is  still 
25 


386  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

a  boy  and  the  horse  was  unbroken  when  he  received  it,  and 
his  friends  thought  him  too  young  to  ride  it  until  it  was  thor 
oughly  used  to  control." 

"  And  you  broke  it  for  him  ?  "  he  asked  with  such  interest 
that  the  reason  began  to  dawn  upon  me. 

"  Yes,  your  excellency/'  I  said,  and  then  broke  off  suddenly. 
"  Why,  it  was  you,  sir,  who  gave  the  horse  to  young  William 
Jay !  I  had  forgotten  it  entirely !  "  I  exclaimed.  And  then  I 
blushed. 

"  I  hope  you  do  not  mind  my  appropriating  your  gift.  It  is 
only  until  William  shall  be  able  to  ride  it  for  himself,  which 
will  be  very  soon  now." 

The  President's  face  brightened  into  a  very  pleasant  smile. 

"  I  not  only  do  not  mind,  but  I  am  glad  it  happened  so.  It 
gives  me  a  chance  to  see  Saladin  again  and  to  be  quite  satisfied 
with  the  way  in  which  he  has  come  to  mind  bit  and  bridle. 
I  had  some  qualms,  after  sending  him  to  the  lad,  for  I  think 
I  should  not  have  sent  him  until  he  was  well  broken.  I  have 
no  doubt  his  Aunt  Kitty  was  quite  indignant  with  me ;  she  has 
a  little  temper  of  her  own." 

"Not  only  his  Aunt  Kitty,  but  all  his  female  relatives,  I 
believe,  sir,"  I  answered  soberly. 

The  President  laughed. 

"Well,  you  have  no  doubt  reconciled  all  the  sisters  and  the 
cousins  and  the  aunts  to  my  gift  by  this  time.  You  must 
have  a  talent  for  the  breaking  of  colts,  for  I  can  see  that  Saladin 
is  remarkably  well  broken." 

I  was  much  pleased  and  greatly  flattered.  My  horseman 
ship  is  the  one  accomplishment  of  which  I  dare  to  be  vain.  I 
believe  it  was  the  one  thing  that  made  the  President  show  such 
an  interest  in  me,  inviting  me  frequently  to  the  palace,  where 
I  met  all  the  men  of  note  of  the  day  and  most  ,of  the  brilliant 
women.  There  I  met  often  the  famous  Mrs.  Madison,  and 
was  as  much  under  the  fascination  of  that  queen  of  women  as 
was  all  the  rest  of  the  world. 

Mr.  Burr  was  never  at  the  "White  House" — that  is  the 
name  the  President  has  given  to  his  palace  —  but  once  when  I 


CAPTAIN  SKINNEK  EEAPPEAES  387 

was  present.  I  think  he  and  the  President  were  not  very  good 
friends.  The  one  time  was  on  the  occasion  of  a  dinner  given 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jerome  Bonaparte;  they  were  guests  of  Mr. 
Burr,  and  so,  of  course,  he  was  included  in  the  dinner  given 
to  the  beautiful  bride  and  her  distinguished  husband. 

She  was  a  bride  of  a  very  few  weeks  when  she  came  to  Wash 
ington,  and  the  wedding  had  been  the  talk  of  the  city.  Most 
of  the  Washington  people  had  known  the  lovely  Miss  Pat 
terson  and  many  of  them  had  met  the  young  Bonaparte.  So 
ciety  was  equally  divided,  I  think,  in  approval  and  disapproval 
of  the  marriage.  There  were  many  who  thought  she  had  made 
a  brilliant  match,  and  that  to  be  the  sister-in-law  of  the  great 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  an  honor  any  woman  might  covet,  but 
there  were  many,  also,  who  foreboded  only  unhappiness  for  the 
beautiful  bride. 

I  met  her  first  at  the  President's  dinner,  but  I  met  her  many 
times  afterward,  at  Mr.  Burr's  and  in  other  houses.  I 
had  fallen  under  the  spell  of  her  beauty  at  first  sight,  and 
it  is  one  of  the  crimes  for  which  I  am  least  able  to  forgive 
the  great  Napoleon  that  he  should  so  ruthlessly  have  broken 
the  heart  of  that  exquisite  creature.  She  reminded  me  much, 
both  in  looks  and  manner,  of  Theodosia  Burr,  as  everyone  in 
America  still  called  her,  and  I  believe  the  Vice-president  saw 
the  likeness  also;  he  certainly  found  Mistress  Bonaparte  most 
charming. 

I  had  been  very  curious,  also,  to  meet  Jerome  Bonaparte, 
the  brother  of  the  man  for  whom  I  entertained  the  most  pro 
found  hatred  mingled  with  some  unwilling  admiration.  I 
little  thought  when  I  met  him  familiarly,  as  I  did  many  times, 
that  I  was  hobnobbing  with  a  future  king,  but  I  think  he  had 
a  very  good  presence  for  the  figure-head  of  a  king,  which  was 
all  any  of  Napoleon's  brothers  could  hope  to  be  while  the  Em 
peror  lived.  He  was  a  handsome  man,  and  had  very  pleasant 
manners,  and  altogether  I  rather  liked  him,  though  somewhat 
against  my  consent. 

It  was  meeting  so  many  interesting  people  that  made  those 
two  months  fly  so  swiftly,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  my  thoughts 


388 

were  constantly  turning  to  gay  New  York  with  a  great  longing. 
Late  in  February  I  received  a  letter  from  my  father  in  reply 
to  the  letter  I  had  written  him  about  Miss  Desloge.  It  had 
been  long  overdue  and  I  had  almost  ceased  to  hope  for  a  favor 
able  answer.  He  had  waited,  he  said,  to  hear  from  Mr.  Living 
ston  in  Paris  before  writing  me,  and  Mr.  Livingston  had  writ 
ten  him  there  could  be  no  reason  in  the  world,  so  far  as  family, 
breeding,  or  personal  character  could  go,  why  Sir  Lionel  should 
not  marry  Miss  Desloge,  if  he  so  desired;  and  my  father,  there 
fore,  gave  his  own  free  consent,  only  conditioning  that  there 
should  be  no  wedding  until  I  returned  to  England. 

I  cannot  tell  you  with  what  ecstasy  I  read  my  father's  words, 
somewhat  chastened,  I  confess,  by  the  remembrance  that  there 
was  another  consent  to  be  won  beside  my  father's.  But  I  had 
all  along  believed  that  it  was  because  I  had  told  her  that  I  was 
under  promise  to  my  father  not  to  engage  myself  without  his 
consent,  that  Mademoiselle  had  thus  far  refused  to  listen  to 
me.  I  believed  the  last  redoubt  was  taken,  the  last  defense  was 
down! 

From  the  moment  of  receiving  my  father's  letter  I  was  im 
patient  to  be  gone  from  Washington.  Unfortunately,  I  had 
promised  to  wait  for  Mr.  Burr  and  return  with  him.  He  was 
to  leave  for  New  York  on  the  fifth  of  March  and  the  fifth  of 
March  was  hardly  a  week  away;  I  had  not  the  hardihood  to 
propose  going  on  ahead  of  him,  since  I  could  think  of  no  plea 
of  urgent  business  demanding  my  presence  at  once  in  New 
York.  There  was  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to  possess  my  soul 
in  patience,  as  best  I  could. 

Now  Mr.  Burr  had  a  theory,  he  told  me.  In  "Washington  a 
snow  had  fallen  on  the  third  of  March  unusually  heavy  for 
that  latitude  in  that  season  of  the  year.  Mr.  Burr's  theory 
was  that  for  every  degree  in  latitude  going  north,  the  depth 
of  the  snow  would  increase  two  inches.  Since  it  was  six  inches 
in  Washington,  it  would  be  eight  in  Lancaster  and  ten  in  New 
York. 

"  We  will  go  hohie  on  runners,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  said  exultingly, 
"and  we  will  get  there  in  half  the  time  we  would  on  wheels." 


CAPTAIN  SKINNER  REAPPEARS  389 

"VVliich  was  true,  for  the  roads  are  very  bad  throughout  this 
country,  and  particularly  in  March. 

But  alas  for  all  theories !  Every  mile  we  traveled  north 
the  air  grew  warmer  and  the  snow  softer.  By  the  time  we 
reached  Havre  de  Grace,  ready  to  cross  the  Susquehanna — 
a  broad  and  beautiful  river  here  at  its  mouth,  as  it  had  been 
a  beautiful  little  stream  at  its  source  —  our  runners  were  cut 
ting  through  to  the  ground.  Long  before  we  reached  Lan 
caster  our  cariole  was  dragging  heavily  on  bare  mud,  and  I 
had  taken  refuge  on  Saladin's  back  to  relieve  the  sleigh  of  all 
unnecessary  weight.  Instead  of  making  time  we  were  losing  it 
every  hour,  and  I  chafed  at  every  minute's  delay  that  kept  me 
longer  from  New  York  and  Mademoiselle. 

Yet  impatient  as  I  was,  I  believe  the  Vice-president  was  no 
less  so,  and  he  had  greater  cause  for  impatience  than  I.  The 
caucus  had  met  in  February  naming  the  candidates  for  the 
Presidency  and  Vice-presidency  for  the  next  election  and  Burr's 
name  was  not  on  the  ticket  for  either  place.  No  doubt  this  was 
a  keen  disappointment  to  him  for  I  believe  he  had  expected 
the  first  place;  I  have  come  to  think  he  was  an  inordinately 
conceited  man,  and  believed  his  popularity  to  be  far  greater 
than  it  ever  was.  With  indomitable  pluck,  as  soon  as  he  realized 
one  prize  was  lost,  he  set  himself  to  straining  every  nerve  to 
secure  another,  and  his  candidacy  for  the  office  of  governor  of 
New  York  was  already  in  full  swing.  But  he  knew  that  he 
was  needed  to  direct  it  and  every  moment's  delay  in  reaching 
New  York  lessened  his  chances  of  success. 

Yet  with  every  reason  for  impatience,  while  I  chafed  openly 
he  jested  cheerfully,  ridiculing  himself  and  his  theories  that 
had  brought  us  to  such  a  pass,  with  imperturbable  good  nature. 
Only  once  in  the  course  of  that  trying  journey  did  I  hear  any 
thing  like  bitterness  from  his  lips. 

"  If  it  had  been  possible  I  could  have  believed  Hamilton  had 
a  hand  in  this  thaw,"  he  said  bitterly,  "  he  has  blocked  me  in 
every  step  of  my  political  career.  It  was  he  who  kept  me  out 
of  the  Presidency  four  years  ago;  it  was  he  who  prevented 
my  name  from  being  presented  to  the  caucus  this  time,  and 


390  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

now  he  is  moving  heaven  and  earth  to  keep  me  out  of  the  gov 
ernor's  chair." 

I  had  not  realized  until  that  moment  the  acuteness  of  the  feel 
ing  between  Hamilton  and  Burr.  It  had  increased  rapidly  within 
the  last  few  months;  I  do  not  believe  that  Burr  would,  at  this 
time,  present  himself  at  Hamilton's  house  informally  as  he  had 
done  last  summer.  Now,  though  I  was  fascinated  by  Burr  and 
admired  him  extremely,  I  loved  and  reverenced  Hamilton,  and 
this  speech  embarrassed  me  greatly.  Burr  was  always  quick 
to  feel  sympathy  or  lack  of  it  in  a  listener,  and  with  a  ready 
change  of  manner  he  went  on,  relieving  me  of  the  necessity  of 
speech. 

"  I  have  a  very  great  respect  for  Mr.  Hamilton's  abilities ; 
indeed,  I  quite  stand  in  awe  of  his  powers  at  times.  Do  you 
suppose  he  can  control  even  the  elements,  and  has  sent  this 
thaw  to  keep  me  out  of  New  York  a  day  or  two  longer  ?  " 

I  laughed,  as  he  intended  I  should,  and  the  conversation 
drifted  from  politics  to  less  dangerous  topics. 

"We  gained  a  little  time  by  stopping  in  Philadelphia  only 
for  a  night's  rest.  Neither  of  us  had  any  inducement  for  a 
longer  stay,  even  if  we  had  not  been  so  impatient  to  reach 
New  York.  I  had  heard  Mr.  Burr  say  that  "  Celeste  "  was  out 
of  the  city.  I  do  not  think  that  was  the  real  name  of  the  young 
lady  he  was  so  interested  in,  but  a  pseudonym  he  had  given  her 
for  convenience,  and  because,  no  doubt,  he  thought  it  particu 
larly  appropriate  to  her.  As  for  me,  I  had  received  a  letter 
from  Lloyd,  early  in  February,  telling  me  he  was  going  out  to 
St.  Louis  to  see  his  old  friends,  Captain  Clark  and  Mr.  Lewis, 
start  on  their  expedition  of  discovery  to  the  Northwest,  and  by 
this  time  he  was  probably  nearing  his  destination;  so  I  was  not 
to  be  detained  in  Philadelphia,  therefore,  by  a  visit  with  him, 
and  barely  giving  ourselves  a  night's  rest,  we  made  an  early  start 
on  what  we  hoped  would  be  the  last  lap  of  our  journey.  But 
the  roads  were  impossible,  almost  impassable.  We  had  changed 
our  runners  for  wheels  at  Lancaster,  but  much  of  the  way  we 
were  up  to  our  hubs  in  mud.  The  melted  snow  and  the  warm 


CAPTAIN  SKINNER  REAPPEARS      391 

air  drawing  the  frost  out  of  the  ground  had  made  the  roads  a 
deep  paste  of  sand  and  clay. 

"  It  was  certainly  not  in  March  that  Washington  Morton 
took  his  famous  walk,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Burr  disgustedly,  when 
we  had  been  dragging  along  laboriously  for  hours  and  making 
but  little  progress. 

"What  was  it?"  I  asked. 

"  He  walked  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia  on  a  wager,"  he 
answered. 

"  I  believe  it  would  be  easier  walking  than  driving,"  I  laughed. 
"But  did  he  really  do  it?" 

"Yes,  and  won  something  better  than  his  money.  Every 
body  says  the  fame  of  his  feat  won  him  his  wife,  Mrs.  Ham 
ilton's  sister,  Cornelia  Schuyler.  The  Schuylers  all  love  deeds 
of  daring.  Mrs.  Hamilton  fell  in  love  with  her  husband  when 
he  was  a  dashing  young  officer;  Cornelia  and  Washington  Mor 
ton  were  both  much  younger ;  the  war  was  over  before  their  time, 
and  since  there  was  no  longer  a  chance  of  winning  his  wife  by 
feats  of  arms,  young  Morton  must  needs  win  her  by  a  feat  of 
feet." 

I  laughed  and,  in  fact,  tedious  as  was  the  journey,  I  laughed 
the  greater  part  of  the  way,  for  Mr.  Burr  was  always  beguiling 
its  tedium  with  anecdotes  of  people  I  knew  or  knew  of,  or  by 
some  jest  or  witty  story.  He  was  incomparable  as  a  conversa 
tionalist,  untiring  as  a  host,  and  for  unfailing  good  humor  I 
have  never  known  his  equal. 

And  after  all  my  impatience  I  was  too  late.  I  reached  New 
York  only  to  find  that  Miss  Livingston  and  Miss  Desloge  had 
left  for  Clermont  just  two  days  before.  I  could  have  torn  my 
hair  and  gnashed  my  teeth  in  the  impotence  of  rage  at  my  un 
happy  fate.  I  was  for  starting  for  Clermont  the  next  morning, 
but  calmer  counsel  prevailed  with  me  to  be  not  too  precipitate. 
I  would  write  and  tell  Miss  Desloge  of  my  letter  from  my 
father  and  get  her  permission  to  go  to  Clermont  and  plead  my 
suit  in  person. 

I  do  not  believe  letters  are  ever  of  much  avail  in  affairs  of 


392  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

the  heart.  Miss  Desloge  replied,  but  very  coolly.  It  would  not 
be  convenient  for  Miss  Livingston  to  have  Sir  Lionel  at  Cler- 
mont  just  now,  the  house  was  upset  with  spring  cleaning  and 
spring  dressmaking.  Nor  did  Miss  Desloge,  herself,  think  such 
a  visit  expedient  at  present.  She  would  be  in  New  York  with 
Miss  Livingston  early  in  May,  and  until  then  would  Sir  Lionel 
please  bear  in  mind  Miss  Desloge's  oft-repeated  ultimatum. 
It  was  still  in  force. 

Whereupon  I  came  very  near  going  into  one  of  my  black 
rages,  such  as  I  have  not  had  since  I  was  a  boy  and  the  little 
Eosie  used  to  torment  me  until  I  could  neither  see,  nor  hear, 
nor  think.  When  I  recovered  a  little  from  my  rage  and  read 
over  Miss  Desloge's  letter  once  more,  I  was  not  so  sure  as  I  had 
been,  at  first,  that  she  intended  to  enrage  me.  I  was  not  sure 
but  it  was  written  in  fear  of  Miss  Livingston.  It  seemed  to  me 
I  could  discern  her  hand  in  it.  I  almost  believed  it  was  written 
at  her  dictation! 

That  month  of  March  seemed  to  me  the  most  interminable 
month  of  my  life,  and  to  add  to  my  other  troubles  the  weather 
was  intolerable  —  cold,  raw,  blustery,  a  March  of  the  Marches! 
The  city  I  had  thought  so  gay  and  bright  in  the  fall  and  early 
winter,  comparing  it  in  my  mind  with  Paris,  seemed  to  me  the 
dreariest  spot  in  the  universe.  It  was  full  of  the  same  people 
I  had  thought  so  charming  then,  but  though  I  pursued  a  dreary 
round  of  dinners  and  dances  and  card  parties  and  plays,  the 
charm  was  gone. 

Early  in  April  I  received  a  letter  from  Lloyd,  written  in 
St.  Louis,  and  bearing  astounding  tidings.  He  was  bringing 
home  his  bride,  the  Comtesse  de  Baloit !  They  would  arrive  in 
Philadelphia  early  in  the  month  and  just  as  soon  after  their 
arrival  as  I  could,  conveniently,  he  wanted  me  to  come  over 
from  New  York  and  meet  his  bride.  He  had  found  her  in  St. 
Louis  on  his  arrival  and  —  he  was  the  happiest  man  in  the 
world. 

That  I  well  believed,  and  I  was  honestly  glad  for  him,  but 
somehow  my  own  prospects  of  happiness  looked  none  the  brighter 
by  comparison.  A  few  days  later  I  received  another  note  from 


CAPTAIN  SKINNER  REAPPEARS      393 

him,  written  this  time  from  Philadelphia  —  they  were  at  home 
and  they  wanted  me  to  come  over  at  once,  to  be  in  time  for  the 
wedding  festivities. 

The  whole  city  of  Philadelphia  was  agog  over  this  wedding 
and  for  two  weeks  there  was  a  ceaseless  round  of  festivities  in 
honor  of  the  bridal  pair.  I  thought  it  must  be  hard  on  a  newly 
married  couple  to  have  so  little  time  to  see  each  other,  but  they 
went  through  their  part  bravely,  and  the  countess  won  all  hearts 
by  the  sweetness  and  graciousness  of  her  manner  as  she  had 
won  all  eyes  by  her  beauty.  And  then,  a  sudden  stop  was  put 
to  the  festivities  by  the  terrible  news  from  France  of  the  mur 
der  of  her  cousin,  the  young  Due  d'Enghien,  with  whom  she 
had  taken  refuge  in  Baden  when  she  fled  from  Paris  and  Bona 
parte.  The  latter  part  of  my  stay  was  as  quiet  as  the  first  part 
had  been  gay,  though  the  bride  would  not  allow  her  grief  to 
darken  her  husband's  happiness.  She  bore  it  very  sweetly,  and 
talked  much  of  her  cousin  and  how  brave  and  gallant  he  was; 
and  hearing  her,  I  registered  another  vow  against  the  arch- 
villain  Bonaparte. 

It  was  the  first  day  of  May  when  I  returned  to  New  York. 
At  home  it  would  have  been  a  great  festival,  with  the  hedges 
all  a-bloom  and  lads  and  lasses  out  before  the  dew  had  dried 
to  gather  the  May  with  which  to  crown  the  queen.  There  were 
no  hedges  in  this  country  through  which  Saladin  and  I  rode, 
but  everywhere  the  orchards  were  a-bloom  and  the  whole  coun 
tryside  was  one  vast  pink  and  white  nosegay. 

"Apple  blossoms  are  for  first  love/'  I  said  to  myself  as  I 
plucked  a  fragrant  spray  from  a  tree  that  overhung  the  road. 
"  I  could  not  honestly  send  apple  blossoms  to  Mademoiselle ;  she 
is  at  least  my  third  love;  Rosie  Dufour  and  Peggy  were  ahead 
of  her.  But  I  have  half  a  mind  to  send  this  to  her;  it  will  at 
least  remind  her  of  my  existence."  And  I  stuck  the  rosy  branch 
in  my  saddle-bow  for  safe-keeping. 

At  the  City  Tavern  I  found  some  changes.  A  ship  from  the 
Bermudas  had  arrived,  bringing  many  guests,  and  among  them 
a  dapper  little  fellow  wearing  an  eyeglass.  I  knew  he  was 
from  home  as  soon  as  I  saw  the  eyeglass,  and  seeing  that  he 


394  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

was  alone  and  looking  a  little  forlorn  I  ventured  to  speak  to 
him,  for  which  small  act  of  humanity  I  have  been  richly  re 
warded.  For  the  author  of  "  Lalla  Eookh "  and  the  "  Irish 
Melodies  "  came  to  be  one  of  my  life-long  f riends,  and  though 
I  do  not  now  regard  "  Lalla  Eookh  "  as  so  great  a  poem  as  I  once 
did,  yet  I  still  think  there  are  no  sweeter  lyrics  in  the  language 
than  "Believe  Me,  If  All  Those  Endearing  Young  Charms," 
"  Come  Rest  In  This  Bosom,"  and  some  of  the  other  Irish  Melo 
dies. 

I  did  not  know  then  how  great  a  man  in  embryo  I  had  lighted 
upon,  but  it  did  not  take  a  minute's  conversation  to  discover 
that  he  was  a  man  after  my  own  heart,  and  I  invited  him  up  to 
my  rooms.  There  we  fell  at  once  to  talking  books  and  poetry 
and  he  confessed  modestly  that  he  dabbled  a  little  in  verse,  and 
showed  me  sonnets  he  had  been  writing  to  a  Bermuda  beauty. 
I  was  enchanted  with  them  and  begged  for  a  copy,  and  thought 
to  myself  —  Oh,  could  I  but  write  such  verses  to  Mademoiselle ! 

He  had  been  in  the  Bermudas  for  his  health,  incidentally 
holding  a  position  in  the  Admiralty  there,  and  he  had  much  to 
say  of  the  beauty  of  the  islands  and  the  loveliness  of  the  climate, 
but  he  was  thoroughly  homesick  and  intended  to  stay  in  New 
York  no  longer  than  the  sailing  of  the  next  packet. 

The  Morning  Chronicle  was  lying  on  my  table  and  as  we 
talked,  young  Mr.  Moore,  for  that  was  his  name,  picked  it  up 
and  read  a  little  sketch  signed  Jonathan  Old  Style,  and  was 
charmed  with  its  cleverness. 

"You  shall  meet  the  author,"  I  said.  "You  will  take  to 
each  other  like  two  birds  of  a  feather.  And  I  will  introduce 
you  to  Paulding,  our  poet.  He  writes  real  poetry  and  gets  it 
published  in  the  Evening  Post,  our  other  newspaper.  Oh,  you 
will  find  we  have  some  taste  for  letters  here  in  the  new  world." 

The  next  day  I  hunted  up  Paulding  and  Irving  and  brought 
them  around  to  meet  Mr.  Moore  and  the  three  were  friends  in 
a  trice.  He  was  a  jolly  little  fellow,  an  Irishman,  and  he 
persisted  in  calling  Irving  Mr.  Old  Style.  We  made  up  a  party 
to  the  Vauxhall  Gardens  for  that  night,  and  I  found  his  so 
ciety  so  fascinating  that  I  scarcely  left  him  for  a  moment  dur- 


CAPTAIN  SKINNER  REAPPEARS      395 

ing  the  day  and  it  was  for  that  reason,  I  suppose,  that  I  did  not 
hear  the  news  of  the  town,  and  so  was  left  to  stumble  upon  it 
accidentally. 

It  seemed  that  the  gardens  were  opening  that  night  for  the 
first  time  for  the  season,  and  all  the  beauty  and  fashion  of  the 
city  were  thronging  the  Bowery  road  on  their  way  to  celebrate 
the  event.  They  were  only  open  through  the  summer  months, 
and  the  last  summer,  owing  to  the  yellow  fever,  they  had  been 
closed  for  a  large  part  of  the  season. 

We  arrived  late,  and  being  arrayed  in  the  very  height  of 
style,  long  blue  riding  coats  with  silver  buttons,  scarlet  waist 
coats,  yellow  knee-breeches  and  long  silk  stockings  with  silver 
buckles  on  our  shoes  and  at  our  knees,  we  flattered  ourselves  we 
created  somewhat  of  a  sensation  as  we  made  the  tour  of  the 
boxes,  ogling  the  pretty  ladies  we  did  not  know  and  bowing  low 
to  those  we  did. 

Irving  and  Paulding  and  Moore  were  each  wearing  a  small 
bouquet  of  lilies  of  the  valley  pinned  to  the  lapel  of  his  coat 
collar,  and  I  had  stuck  a  sprig  of  my  apple  blossom,  still  fresh 
and  fragrant,  through  the  button-hole  of  mine.  Dancing  had 
already  begun  and  Irving  and  Paulding  soon  deserted  us  for 
two  pretty  girls  whom  they  led  out  on  the  floor.  I  stopped, 
with  Moore,  in  front  of  a  box,  whose  occupants  I  did  not  ob 
serve,  to  point  out  the  dancers  to  him,  rather  proud  to  be  able 
to  name  the  most  beautiful  of  them  and  to  receive  a  smile  from 
some  of  them  as  they  came  near  me  in  the  mazes  of  the  figure. 
And  so  engrossed  was  I  in  this  occupation  that  I  was  quite 
startled  to  hear  my  name  and  an  imperious  voice  exclaiming : 

"  Sir  Lionel,  of  what  crime  have  your  friends  been  guilty  that 
you  refuse  to  recognize  them  ?  " 

I  turned  quickly,  and  with  a  madly  beating  heart,  for  I  rec 
ognized  Miss  Livingston's  voice,  and  knew  whom  I  might  expect 
to  see  with  her.  There  they  both  were  with  Mrs.  Montgomery 
and  the  Countess  Niemcewiscz  and  three  gentlemen.  One  of 
the  three,  as  I  might  have  expected,  was  Kemble;  one,  as  I 
might  have  feared,  was  Ogden;  and  the  third,  of  course,  was  the 
handsome  Polish  count. 


396  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

I  bowed  low  to  the  ladies  and  begged  permission  to  bring  my 
friend  into  their  box,  which  was  readily  granted.  As  I  called 
his  name  Miss  Livingston  cried: 

"  Not  Mr.  '  Thomas  Little/  whose  volume  of  verses  I  have  in 
my  library  ?  " 

And  in  the  same  breath  Mrs.  Montgomery  exclaimed: 

"  Not  the  translator  of  the  Odes  of  Anacreon  ?  " 

My  friend  blushed  and  owned  to  the  soft  impeachment,  and 
I  was  not  a  little  proud  and  not  a  little  amazed  to  find  myself 
in  the  company  of  so  great  a  man.  The  ladies  were  all  affa 
bility  and  made  a  lion  of  Mr.  Moore  at  once ;  "  the  Little  Lion," 
Miss  Livingston  called  him,  in  reference  both  to  his  nom  de 
plume  and  his  size.  Tea  had  already  been  ordered  but  the 
order  was  increased  to  include  us  and  as  my  good  luck  would 
have  it,  or  my  skillful  manceuvering,  I  am  not  sure  to  which 
I  owed  it  most,  I  found  a  seat  by  Mademoiselle  Desloge.  Ogden 
was  on  her  other  side,  but  I  was  determined  to  give  him  but 
little  chance  to  talk  to  her,  and  he  very  soon  gave  up  trying  and 
devoted  himself  to  the  countess. 

I  found  that  the  ladies  had  been  in  New  York  nearly  a  week, 
and  I  bewailed  the  fate  that  had  made  me  lose  so  much  precious 
time  in  Philadelphia.  I  said  so  to  Mademoiselle  and  she  smiled 
skeptically. 

"Your  friend's  sisters  are  very  beautiful,  are  they  not?  I 
have  heard  so." 

"  Yes,  they  are  very  pretty  little  girls,"  I  replied  coolly ;  but 
I  added  with  enthusiasm,  "  His  wife,  the  countess,  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  women  I  have  ever  seen." 

"And  a  Frenchwoman?"  she  smiled. 

"  Are  all  Frenchwomen  so  beautiful  ?  "  I  demanded. 

But  she  was  not  compelled  to  reply  to  that,  for  at  that  mo 
ment  a  familiar  voice  assailed  my  ears,  and  a  long  arm  and 
sinewy  hand  was  extended  toward  me. 

"Fer  the  land's  sake!  Sir  Lionel,  where  did  you  come 
from !  " 

It  was  my  old  friend  Captain  Skinner,  and  I  was  delighted 


CAPTAIN  SKINNER  REAPPEARS      397 

to  see  him.  The  ladies  had  seen  him  before,  for  he  had  been  in 
town  more  than  a  week  and,  it  seems,  had  called  on  them  — 
which  struck  me  as  a  little  odd. 

After  his  first  hearty  greetings  the  good  captain  was  a  little 
embarrassed.  He  had  not  seen  me  since  the  trial,  for  he  had 
sailed  for  England  while  we  were  chasing  La  Force,  and  he  had 
never  been  quite  satisfied  with  his  performance  on  that  occa 
sion.  It  was  the  embarrassment  of  a  conscious  disloyalty,  for 
he  had  too  evidently  believed  me  guilty. 

"  I  wish  you  'd  a  caught  the  darned  critter,  Sir  Lionel,"  he 
said  to  me.  "  I  owe  him  a  good  'un  myself  for  deceivin'  of  me 
so  —  the  sneak !  " 

He  had  a  letter  for  me  from  my  father,  he  said,  and  handed 
me  over  a  bulky  package  which  I  recognized  at  once,  from  the 
feeling,  must  contain  banknotes,  and  I  put  it  carefully  away  in 
my  waistcoat  pocket,  feeling  a  little  vexed  lest  its  bulk  should 
mar  the  perfect  set  of  my  coat  on  which  I  prided  myself.  But 
it  was  delightful  to  hear  so  directly  from  my  father  and  I  had 
many  questions  to  ask  the  captain  of  his  looks  and  his  health. 
Also,  the  captain  had  much  to  say  of  the  state  of  alarm  the 
whole  southern  coast  of  England  was  in,  lest  Bonaparte  might 
at  any  moment  descend  upon  it.  He,  himself,  no  longer 
ventured  through  the  Channel ;  he  made  his  landing  for  France, 
at  a  little  port  on  the  west  coast,  and  for  England  at  Clover 
Combe ! 

So  that  was  how  he  had  come  to  see  my  father!  I  was 
greatly  excited  by  his  news  and  wished  much  that  I  could  go 
home  with  him  (he  said  he  was  to  sail  in  a  few  days)  if  only 
I  could  take  Mademoiselle  with  me.  And  I  determined  on  the 
spot  to  write  my  father  a  letter  to  send  by  the  captain,  begging 
him  to  shorten  my  exile.  I  wanted  to  be  at  home  to  help  de 
fend  my  beloved  Devonshire  should  it  indeed  be  in  peril. 

Much  as  I  enjoyed  seeing  the  captain,  however,  and  talking 
of  home,  I  was  not  sorry  to  have  him  say  good-by,  for  I  felt  these 
moments  were  precious.  The  noise  of  many  voices,  the  music 
and  the  sound  of  tripping  feet  on  the  polished  floor,  set  Made- 


398  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

moiselle  and  me  off  to  ourselves.  I  could  say  what  I  pleased, 
if  only  I  lowered  my  voice.  It  was  after  much  delightfully 
confidential  talk  that  Mademoiselle  said: 

"Where  did  you  get  your  apple  blossoms?  Do  they  grow 
apple  trees  in  the  City  Tavern  ?  " 

"I  plucked  them  on  the  road  from  Philadelphia,"  I  an 
swered,  "and  I  gathered  them  thinking  of  you.  You  know 
their  language  ?  " 

"  First  love,  is  n't  it  ?  but  I  hardly  see  why  you  should  think 
of  me." 

"Because  you  are  my  first  love,"  I  answered  boldly. 

"  How  about  Peggy  ?  "  she  retorted  with  twinkling  eyes. 

"  Oh,  Peggy !  I  learned  long  ago  that  I  was  never  in  love 
with  Peggy.  My  vanity  was  tickled,  and  my  callow  judgment 
was  dazzled." 

"  And,  let  me  see,  there  was  my  old  friend  Eosamond  Dufour, 
was  there  not,  before  Peggy's  day  ?  " 

"  A  red-headed,  freckled-faced  baby ! "  I  exclaimed  impa 
tiently. 

Her  eyes  were  twinkling  as  if  a  dozen  mischievous  sprites 
looked  out  of  them  and  the  merry  dimples  were  playing  hide  and 
seek  in  her  cheeks.  I  was  seized  with  an  overwhelming  desire 
to  get  her  off  by  myself,  for  always  just  when  I  began  to  think 
I  was  making  some  headway  in  my  suit,  Miss  Livingston  would 
break  into  our  talk  with  some  sharp  question  or  demand  of 
Mademoiselle  that  became  unbearable  as  the  evening  passed. 
It  was  —  "  Mademoiselle,  you  have  neglected  to  fill  Mr.  Ogden's 
cup  again !  " — "  Mademoiselle,  where  is  my  powder  bag  ?  " — 
"  Mademoiselle,  my  shoulders  are  cold ;  put  my  cloak  over 
them !  " 

It  was  in  vain  that  I  or  anyone  else  sprang  to  execute  her 
commands,  she  always  insisted  that  Mademoiselle  should  do  it, 
and  I  was  rapidly  growing  to  hate  Miss  Livingston,  who  looked 
so  handsome  and  could  be  at  times  so  charming. 

It  was  after  a  demand  a  little  more  outrageous  than  the  others 
that  I  said  to  Mademoiselle: 

"  Will  you  stand  up  with  me  in  the  dance  ?  " 


CAPTAIN  SKINNER  REAPPEARS  399 

She  answered  with  a  look  of  delight  that  I  could  not  mis 
take: 

"  I  will  speak  to  Miss  Livingston,  and  if  she  has  no  objec 
tions  — " 

"  Oh,  how  can  you  be  so  servile ! "  I  broke  in  rudely.  "  It 
surely  is  not  necessary  to  ask  her  permission  to  dance  with 
me! " 

But  she  shook  her  head,  smiling. 

"  With  you  more  than  anyone,"  she  said,  and  turned  to  Miss 
Livingston. 

"  Sir  Lionel  asks  me  to  stand  up  in  the  dance  with  him,"  she 
said,  "  Have  you  any  objections,  madam  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  I  have,"  Miss  Livingston  answered  coldly. 
"  The  hour  is  late,  nor  do  I  think  it  proper  that  in  so  public  a 
place,  a  young  lady  in  your  position  should  stand  up  with  the 
'  observed  of  all  observers/  '' 

For  one  dreadful  moment  there  was  absolute  silence  in  the 
little  circle.  I  very  nearly  forgot  that  Miss  Livingston  was  not 
a  man.  Oh,  that  I  could  have  struck  her  in  the  face  and  chal 
lenged  her  on  the  spot!  I  saw  Mademoiselle  give  Miss  Living 
ston  one  quick  reproachful  glance,  and  then  her  eyes  fell  and 
her  beautiful  face  was  bathed  in  burning  blushes.  It  was  not 
possible  that  I  should  remain  longer  a  member  of  Miss  Living 
ston's  party  where  I  was  so  helpless  to  protect  Mademoiselle 
from  insult. 

"  Mesdames  and  Messieurs,"  I  said,  bowing  low,  "  I  will  bid 
you  good  evening.  Mr.  Moore,  Mr.  Irving  will  see  you  to  the 
City  Tavern.  Good  night,  Mademoiselle,  I  will  do  myself  the 
honor  of  calling  on  you  to-morrow."  And  I  stalked  away  with 
my  head  in  the  air. 

But  on  the  morrow,  when  I  called,  the  ladies  were  "not  at 
home."  It  was  the  same  on  the  next  day  and  on  the  third  and 
the  fourth.  On  the  fifth  day,  for  I  would  not  be  discouraged, 
Miss  Livingston  came  down  to  the  drawing-room  alone.  I 
rose  to  my  feet  as  she  entered  the  room  and  gave  her  no  chance 
to  speak. 

"  I  called  to  see  Mademoiselle  Desloge,"  I  said  quickly ;  "  I 


400  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

think  you  and  I  can  have  no  dealings  with  one  another,  Miss 
Livingston." 

"  Sir  Lionel/'  she  said,  so  gently  that  I  marveled,  for  I  had 
supposed  my  speech  would  anger  her,  "  I  have  come  down  to 
make  some  explanation  to  you.  I  think  you  cannot  refuse  to 
listen  to  a  lady." 

I  bowed,  and  she  went  on : 

"  Some  day  you  will  thank  me  for  all  that  you  now  so  re 
sent  in  my  treatment  of  Mademoiselle.  Some  day  we  will  be 
friends." 

She  paused  a  moment,  and  I  merely  ejaculated,  "  Impossible, 
madam ! " 

"  I  am  as  sure  of  it  as  that  I  stand  here,"  she  insisted. 
"  Some  day  you  will  think  very  differently  of  me,  when  you 
know  the  truth  about  Mademoiselle." 

"You  speak  as  if  she  were  some  villain  or  criminal  in  dis 
guise,"  I  flashed  at  her.  "  I  will  not  hear  one  word  in  defama 
tion  of  her.  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  tell  her  I  am  here  and 
ask  her  to  come  down  to  see  me  ?  " 

She  answered  slowly,  still  speaking  gently  and  looking  at  me 
with  eyes  that  seemed  to  entreat  my  forgiveness: 

"  Mademoiselle  sailed  for  home  yesterday,  on  the  Sea  Gull." 


XXXI 

MIGHTY  IN  DEATH 

ALL  the  suffering  I  had  endured  when  I  thought  I  had  loved 
Peggy  and  lost  her  was  as  nothing  to  my  agony  of  soul 
now.  When  Miss  Livingston  finished  speaking  I  stood  staring 
at  her  for  a  full  minute  —  I  was  as  a  man  turned  to  stone. 
Then  without  a  word  to  her,  I  turned  and  went  out  of  the 
house. 

It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  I  left  the  Living 
ston  mansion;  it  was  nearly  eight,  and  rapidly  growing  dusk, 
when  I  came  to  myself  sitting  on  a  rock  overlooking  the  Hudson 
far  beyond  the  little  village  of  Greenwich.  How  long  I  had 
been  sitting  there  I  knew  not.  I  think  it  was  some  vague  mem 
ory,  stirred  by  the  sunset,  that  brought  me  back  to  self-con 
sciousness.  The  sun  had  set  over  the  Jersey  hills  in  a  golden 
sea,  into  which  dropped  the  slender  crescent  of  the  new  moon; 
nine  months  before  I  had  watched  that  slender  golden  shallop 
sailing  into  a  daffodil  sea  with  Miss  Desloge  by  my  side. 

"  Never  again ! "  I  groaned  aloud,  and  getting  to  my  feet  I 
shook  myself,  as  if  so  I  might  once  more  rouse  the  currents  of 
life  stagnating  in  my  soul.  I  turned  and  walked  toward  the 
city,  slowly  at  first,  but  more  rapidly,  as  the  every-day  facts 
of  existence  began  to  return  to  my  recollection,  and  I  remem 
bered  that  I  had  young  Tom  Moore  on  my  hands  for  the  evening 
and  the  hour  was  growing  late. 

"  Hearts  may  break  but  dinners  must  be  eaten/'  I  muttered 
to  myself,  and  hurried  on,  wishing  that  Tom  Moore  had  never 
dropped  upon  these  shores,  or  wishing,  how  much  more  fer 
vently,  that  I  had  never  seen  them  myself. 

Passing  the  Bayard  place,  young  Bayard  stepped  out  of  the 
26  401 


402  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

gates  and  recognizing  me  in  the  twilight,  was  surprised  to  see 
me  so  far  from  home,  and  walking. 

"  Out  for  a  constitutional,"  I  said  lightly.  "  Do  you  never 
walk  yourself,  sir  ?  " 

"  Often,  and  if  you  will  let  me,  I  will  walk  a  way  with  you 
now,"  he  answered. 

I  could  have  wished  him  a  thousand  miles  away,  but  there 
was  nothing  to  do  but  to  express  my  pleasure  in  his  company. 
He  had  been  particularly  polite  to  me  since  my  return  from 
Washington  and  I  had  come  to  like  him  well,  but  there  was  no 
man  whose  society  would  have  been  pleasant  to  me  then. 

In  the  course  of  our  walk  he  said  to  me,  quite  shyly: 

"  Sir  Lionel,  I  have  long  been  desiring  to  ask  you  to  come 
out  and  spend  the  night  at  the  house  and  go  fishing  with  me  in 
the  morning  before  sun-up.  Will  you  come  ?  " 

"  I  should  be  delighted  to,  sometime,"  I  answered,  never  ex 
pecting  to  do  so,  and,  still  less,  dreaming  of  the  terrible  event 
that  would  make  my  fishing  with  him  one  of  the  indelible 
memories  of  my  life. 

Before  I  had  reached  the  City  Tavern  I  had  made  a  definite 
plan  for  the  next  ten  weeks.  Tom  Moore,  having  fallen  into 
pleasant  company,  for  the  Cockloft  Hall  lads  had  shown  him 
much  attention,  had  recovered  from  his  haste  to  be  off  for  home. 
He  was  talking  now  of  touring  the  country,  going  as  far  west  as 
Niagara  and  then  down  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Montreal  and  Que 
bec,  and  so  back  to  New  York  by  the  Lakes  Champlain  and 
George,  and  the  Hudson  River.  He  had  proposed  to  me  to  go 
with  him,  but  I  had  not  considered  it;  I  had  other  plans  that 
would  require  all  my  time  and  all  my  energy. 

Now  I  no  longer  had  any  plans  of  my  own.  What  I  most 
longed  to  do  was  to  return  by  the  next  packet  to  England,  but 
my  letter,  asking  my  father's  permission  to  return,  had  gone 
out  only  the  day  before  on  the  boat  with  Mademoiselle;  it 
would  be  fully  ten  weeks  before  I  could  receive  an  answer,  and 
to  spend  that  ten  weeks  in  New  York  would  be  intolerable.  I 
would  go  with  Mr.  Moore  —  possibly  in  the  excitements  of 
travel  I  might  find  some  distraction. 


MIGHTY  IN  DEATH  403 

I  found  him  waiting  for  me  in  my  rooms,  and  with  him 
were  Irving  and  Kemble  and  young  Cooper,  whom  I  had  not 
seen  since  our  return  from  the  pursuit  of  La  Force.  I  believe 
now,  though  I  did  not  think  of  it  then,  that  Kemble  and  Irving 
had  heard  of  Mademoiselle's  sudden  departure,  and  guessing 
it  would  be  a  blow  to  me,  coming  on  top  of  my  theater  escapade, 
had  planned  a  diversion  with  the  kindly  idea  of  cheering 
me.  They  greeted  my  arrival  with  the  announcement  that  they 
were  hungry  as  bears  waiting  for  me,  and  where  under  the  canopy 
had  I  been  this  unconscionable  time !  And  without  giving  me  a 
chance  to  reply  they  announced  further,  that  the  Kilkenny  Lads 
had  engaged  supper  at  Cato's  and  were  waiting  for  us  there. 
We  must  be  off  at  once  or  they  would  conclude  we  were  not  com 
ing  and  eat  up  the  supper  without  us. 

As  Cato's  was  three  miles  out  on  the  Boston  Post  Road,  and 
as  it  was  now  nearly  nine  o'clock,  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost 
in  argument,  and  I  yielded  without  a  murmur,  though  a  royster- 
ing  supper,  such  as  a  supper  at  Cato's  was  bound  to  be,  was 
the  last  thing  I  was  in  the  humor  for.  We  went  on  horseback, 
and  Scipio  and  Mr.  Kemble's  black  man  rode  ahead  carrying 
torches,  for  the  night  was  dark.  It  was  Saladin's  first  expe 
rience  with  torches  and  he  was  inclined  to  be  restive  for  awhile, 
but  he  soon  quieted  down,  and  as  we  swept  swiftly  along  through 
the  cool  night  air,  sweet  with  the  odors  of  spring  and  growing 
things,  I  was  conscious  of  a  feeling  of  keen  regret  that  this  was, 
probably,  my  last  ride  on  Saladin.  If  I  could  persuade  Mr. 
Moore  we  would  start  on  our  travels  the  day  after  the  morrow 
and  I  hoped  to  find  a  packet  sailing  for  home  immediately  on 
my  return.  There  would  be  little  chance  for  riding  in  the 
hurry  of  preparations,  and  I  loved  Saladin. 

We  found  the  rest  of  the  Kilkenny  Lads  just  ready  to  give 
us  up,  and  we  were  greeted  with  shouts  of  welcome  and  hurried 
to  the  table,  where  Cato  had  outdone  himself  in  setting  before 
us  all  the  spring  delicacies  and  the  special  dishes  for  which  he 
was  so  justly  famous.  Whether  Moore  would  go  with  me  or 
not  I  determined,  as  I  took  my  seat,  that  this  should  be  in  the 
nature  of  a  farewell  banquet;  I  would  start  off  on  that  tour 


404  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

alone,  if  I  could  get  no  one  to  go  with  me;  I  would  not  stay 
in  New  York,  where  either  I  must  be  a  death's  head  at  the 
festivities  of  my  friends  or  must  subject  myself  to  such  a  strain 
of  forced  gayety  as  human  heart  and  brain  could  not  endure  for 
long.  For  this  one  evening  I  put  a  tremendous  pressure  upon 
myself  and  I  believe  I  was  no  damper  on  their  hilarity. 

Early  in  the  feast  I  made  my  proposal  to  Moore. 

"You  have  been  talking  of  a  tour  to  Niagara  and  Canada, 
Mr.  Moore,"  I  said,  "  and  you  once  asked  me  to  go  with  you. 
If  you  have  not  changed  your  mind  and  would  still  like  me 
for  a  traveling  companion,  I  am  ready  to  start  day  after  to 
morrow." 

"  Good !  "  shouted  Moore  enthusiastically.  "  Your  hand  on 
that,  Sir  Lionel."  But  there  was  dead  silence  from  the  rest 
of  the  table,  for  a  moment.  I  think  they  understood,  and  in 
their  hearts  they  were  feeling  such  sympathy  with  me,  as  pre 
vented,  for  the  moment,  any  expression.  They  were  generous- 
hearted  fellows ;  I  had  grown  to  love  them  in  these  nine  months, 
and  I  believed  they  loved  me. 

It  was  Kemble  who  broke  the  silence,  which  was  beginning  to 
be  embarrassing. 

"  You  can  see,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  said,  "  that  we  e  Lads '  are 
loath  to  let  you  go.  We  will  be  sorry  to  say  good-by  to  Mr. 
Moore,  also,  on  such  short  notice,  but  you  have  become  a 
'  brother  of  our  souls ?  and  we  cannot  lightly  let  you  go." 

"  If  we  could  only  go  with  you !  "  said  Irving. 

"Why  not?"  I  asked.  "Your  law  practice  is  not  so  press 
ing,  is  it,  Irving,  that  you  need  stay  home  for  it  ?  " 

A  laugh  always  greeted  any  reference  to  Irving's  practice. 
He  had  never  yet  had  a  case. 

"  I  wish  I  could,"  said  Irving,  "  but  my  family  want  me  to 
go  abroad;  I  was  hoping  I  might  have  you  and  Moore  for  ship 
companions." 

"  Going  abroad ! "  I  exclaimed,  for  this  was  news  to  me. 
"Wait  until  we  get  back  from  our  Canadian  trip.  I  am  hop 
ing,  by  that  time,  to  have  received  permission  from  my  father 
to  return  and  we  will  all  go  over  together." 


MIGHTY  IN  DEATH  405 

And  so  it  was  finally  settled,  the  rest  of  the  Kilkenny  Lads 
professing  themselves  profoundly  envious  of  Irving  and  Moore. 
\Ve  would  be  gone  about  ten  weeks  on  our  Canadian  trip  and 
on  our  return,  provided  I  found  the  expected  permission  from 
my  father,  Irving,  Moore  and  I  would  take  the  first  packet  for 
England.  The  supper  became  a  farewell  banquet  in  fact,  and 
we  were  late  into  the  night  drinking  farewell  toasts  to  one  an 
other  and  rode  home  under  the  brilliant  constellations,  our 
flaring  torches  casting  weirdly  dancing  shadows  along  our  road, 
while  we  talked  of  the  happy  past  and  pledged  a  brother's  love 
to  each  other  and  sang  the  German  farewell  song,  with  all  the 
tender  sentiment  and  sweet  mournfulness  that  youth,  untouched 
by  the  real  sorrows  of  the  world,  loves  to  revel  in. 

I  am  not  going  to  tell  of  our  adventures,  young  Moore's  and 
mine;  they  would  fill  a  book  by  themselves.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  I  discovered  I  had  been  wise  in  my  plan.  No  companion 
could  have  been  better  for  a  man  staggering  under  a  weight 
of  woe,  than  this  light-hearted  Irishman,  bubbling  over  with 
wit  and  sentiment;  finding  poetry  in  every  step  of  our  road 
through  the  beautiful  hills  and  valleys  of  this  wonderful  state; 
standing  awe-struck  and  speechless  before  the  tremendous  down 
pour  of  the  mighty  Niagara ;  full  of  wonder  at  the  splendor  of 
the  great  river  bearing  its  lovely  thousand  isles  so  lightly  on 
its  broad  bosom ;  and  swelling  with  pride  in  the  beauty  of  Mon 
treal  and  the  quaint  picturesqueness  of  Quebec,  two  English 
cities  on  this  continent  of  America  that  an  Englishman  could 
well  feel  pride  in. 

We  reached  New  York  on  the  second  of  July,  and  there, 
in  the  pile  of  letters  awaiting  me  at  the  City  Tavern,  none  of 
which  had  been  sent  forward  to  me,  since  they  could  not  have 
caught  us  on  our  flying  trip,  was  one  from  my  father  that  had 
reached  New  York  just  two  days  after  Moore  and  I  had  started 
for  Niagara,  giving  me  the  permission,  I  had  so  longed  for,  to 
return  at  once.  His  letter  said  that  he  was  moved  to  the  de 
cision  by  two  things:  one  was  the  report  Captain  Skinner  gave 
him  of  the  suffering  I  had  endured  in  being  imprisoned  and 
brought  to  trial,  and  of  which  I  had  made  light ;  the  other  was 


406  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

the  threatening  attitude  of  Bonaparte  to  the  south  coast. 
Should  the  French  fleet  really  cross  the  channel  and  England 
be  invaded,  he  knew  that  I  would  be  very  unhappy  not  to  be  at 
home  to  take  a  hand  in  the  defense  of  Devonshire. 

For  a  while  it  was  hard  to  get  over  my  disappointment  that 
I  should  have  missed  this  letter ;  I  would  have  been  home  weeks 
ago  if  I  had  not  rushed  off  in  such  haste  to  escape  New  York. 
And  what  made  it  harder  to  bear  was  that  a  packet  had  sailed 
the  day  before  our  return  to  New  York,  and  now  there  would 
be  none  sailing  again  in  weeks,  for  there  were  very  few  regular 
packets  to  England  that  summer,  since  the  sea  was  full  of 
French  privateers  and  there  were  few  skippers  as  daring  as 
Captain  Skinner,  or  so  lucky  as  he  had  heretofore  been. 

Well,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  wait.  In  the  meantime 
Moore  and  I  were  receiving  invitations  on  all  sides  for  visits. 
Paulding  carried  Moore  off  to  his  brother's  place  up  the  Hud 
son,  but  I  preferred  keeping  my  headquarters  at  the  City  Tavern 
and  only  going  for  dinner  or  for  the  night  to  my  friends  in 
turn.  I  had  promised  to  spend  the  Fourth  of  July  with  Mr. 
Hamilton  at  the  Grange  and  he  had  invited  me,  also,  to  the 
banquet  of  the  Sons  of  Cincinnatus,  for  the  evening  of  that  day. 
Had  I  been  an  American,  he  told  me,  he  would  not  have  been 
at  liberty  to  invite  me,  but  since  I  was  a  foreigner  he  could 
do  so. 

It  was  rather  odd  to  be  assisting  at  a  banquet  celebrating 
England's  defeat,  for  a  Fourth  of  July  banquet  would  have  to 
be  so  regarded,  but  I  had  always  been  on  the  side  of  America 
in  that  question,  and  I  could  listen  to  the  toasts  and  drink  them 
heartily. 

It  was  a  notable  company  that  sat  down  to  table;  many  of 
them  I  knew,  and  most  of  the  others  I  had  heard  of  and  was: 
curious  to  see.  Mr.  Burr  was  there.  I  had  met  him  the  day 
after  my  return  and  he  had  invited  me  to  spend  the  Fourth 
at  Eichmond  Hill.  I  had  the  previous  engagement  at  the 
Grange  and  I  was  not  sorry.  It  seemed  to  me  that  Mr.  Burr 
had  changed  in  the  few  weeks  since  we  had  taken  our  ride  to« 
gether  from  Washington.  He  had  seemed  to  me  then  the  em- 


MIGHTY  IN  DEATH  407 

bodiment  of  careless  good  humor;  he  seemed  to  me,  now,  anx 
ious  and  worried,  and  in  the  course  of  our  short  talk  together 
I  heard  more  bitter  speeches  from  his  lips  than  in  all  the  time 
I  had  known  him.  I  knew,  of  course,  that  he  had  lost  the 
election  for  governor;  Morgan  Lewis  had  secured  it,  but  that 
did  not  seem  to  me  sufficient  to  account  for  what  struck  me  as 
a  great  change  in  the  gay,  brilliant,  fascinating  Vice-president. 

The  banquet  of  the  Cincinnati  was  a  brilliant  affair.  Mr. 
Hamilton  was  president  of  the  order,  as  the  great  Washington 
had  been  before  him,  and  I  cannot  conceive  a  more  delightful 
host  or  toastmaster,  sparkling,  brilliant,  flashing  with  wit  and 
humor,  remembering  everything  and  forgetting  no  one.  In  the 
light  of  what  was  soon  to  follow,  Buries  answered  challenge  in 
his  pocket,  the  manner  of  his  presiding  at  that  banquet  has 
seemed  to  me  since  a  most  amazing  exhibition  of  grit  and  real 
nerve.  Mr.  Burr,  on  the  other  hand,  was  unusually  quiet.  Aa 
a  rule  he  would  have  had  his  own  coterie  around  him  keeping 
them  all  amused  and  absorbed  in  him,  but  that  night  he  spent 
most  of  the  evening  quietly  watching  Hamilton. 

Now  Mr.  Hamilton  was  no  singer  —  there  was  but  one  song 
he  ever  sang  —  the  Drum.  But  he  had  sung  that  song  at  every 
banquet  of  the  Cincinnati  for  years  and  his  old  friends  were 
not  going  to  break  into  the  tradition  now.  He  demurred  at 
first,  I  believe  with  some  sense  of  the  unfitness  of  it  when  he 
stood  so  close  within  the  shadow,  for  I  believe  also  that  he  never 
doubted  the  outcome  of  that  duel.  But  he  was  prevailed  upon, 
and  in  the  spirit  of  glee,  that  boyish  spirit  that  no  burdens 
of  state,  no  private  sorrows,  nor  even  the  dark  wing  of  the 
destroyer  could  shadow,  he  sprang  on  the  table  and  sang  it 
with  all  the  lusty  joy  of  youth.  And  as  he  sang,  my  glance 
fell  on  Burr  who  sat  nearly  opposite  me.  Every  other  face 
around  that  table  was  glowing  with  the  spirit  of  conviviality  and 
sympathy  in  the  joy  of  the  singer.  Burr  alone  sat  dark-browed, 
his  arms  folded,  his  eyes  intently  fixed  in  a  keen  and  steady 
stare  on  Hamilton.  Often  since  I  have  wondered  what  his 
thoughts  could  have  been.  Was  he  looking  at  Hamilton  in  all 
the  flush  of  life  and  spirits  and  seeing  him  as  he  would  be  in 


408 

a  few  days,  cold  and  lifeless  by  his  murderous  hand?  Did  his 
soul  draw  back  from  the  deed  he  was  about  to  commit,  or  was 
he  gloating  over  it  with  relentless  hate,  looking  forward  to 
the  hour  when  this  man,  more  loved,  more  idolized,  than  any 
man  then  living,  should  be  no  longer  a  stumbling-block  in 
his  path,  the  relentless  closer  of  every  door  of  opportunity? 

As  I  saw  Hamilton  that  night  I  can  never  forget  him  — 
the  wonderful  magnetic  quality  of  the  man  was  never  more 
vividly  manifested,  every  eye  and  every  heart  around  that  table, 
save  only  oney  was  irresistibly  drawn  to  him  as  he  sang,  his 
dark  curls  flung  back,  his  wonderful  eyes  glowing,  his  smiling 
lips  parted,  his  slender,  boyish  figure  swaying  to  the  rhythm 
of  his  song.  He  had  but  one  week  of  life  left  to  him,  and  he 
knew  it  as  certainly  as  if  the  decree  of  the  executioner  had 
gone  forth,  but  his  great  soul  had  risen  above  the  things  of  time 
and  sense;  he  knew  that  he  had  lived  much  and  well  in  his 
forty-seven  years  and  he  was  unmoved  in  the  midst  of  the  rush 
ing  waves  that  were  closing  so  swiftly  about  him. 

I  parted  with  him  that  night  at  the  door  of  my  tavern  and 
the  last  words  he  ever  said  to  me  were  the  simple  friendly  words 
one  might  use  to  a  friend  he  expected  to  see  often: 

"  You  must  come  out  and  stay  with  us  before  you  sail,  but 
lest  I  forget  to  tell  you,  I  want  you  to  say  to  your  father  that 
we  are  glad  he  loaned  you  to  us  for  a  while.  If  we  could 
have  more  of  such  fair-minded  young  Englishmen  coming  to 
our  shores,  we  would  soon  heal  the  breach  between  the  two 
nations/' 

I  had  met  Bayard  again  since  my  return  and  I  had  promised 
him  to  spend  the  night  of  the  tenth  with  him  and  go  out 
fishing  with  him  early  on  the  morning  of  the  eleventh.  We 
were  out  before  sunrise  and  were  fairly  successful.  It  was  a 
beautiful  morning  and  many  times  we  let  our  lines  lie  idly  in 
the  water,  while  we  watched  the  wonderful  effects  of  light  and 
shadow  on  the  river  and  the  bay  below.  We  were  fishing  on 
the  Jersey  side  of  the  river,  and  we  could  look  across  to  the 
tree-embowered  city,  where  we  could  readily  distinguish  the 


MIGHTY  IN  DEATH  409 

porches  and  pillars  of  the  Grange  to  the  north,  and  almost 
equally  distant  to  the  south  the  roofs  and  chimneys  of  Rich- 
mond  Hill,  while  half  way  between  them  hung  the  golden 
lantern  of  the  morning  star,  paling  as  the  dawn  rapidly  bright 
ened.  It  was  a  picture  of  perfect  peace  and  beauty  and  I  was 
reminded  of  my  early  crossing  on  the  Paulus  Hook  Ferry  nearly 
a  year  before,  when  the  same  panorama  had  unrolled  itself  be 
fore  my  eyes. 

I  was  speaking  of  it  to  young  Bayard  when  we  both  noticed  a 
boat  put  out  from  the  Richmond  Hill  landing  and  make  for 
the  Jersey  shore  not  very  far  from  where  we  were  anchored. 
We  watched  it  idly,  not  being  able,  at  that  distance,  to  dis 
tinguish  the  occupants  of  the  boat,  when  young  Bayard  ex 
claimed  : 

"  Strange !  there  is  another  boat  setting  out  from  the  Grange 
headed  for  exactly  the  same  spot,  I  should  think,  and  with  ex 
actly  three  men,  not  counting  the  rower,  in  each  boat." 

I  looked  quickly,  and  a  chill  struck  my  heart  as  I  looked. 
I  think  the  same  foreboding  seized  Bayard  at  the  same  moment, 
for  when  I  looked  at  him  his  face  was  pale  and  his  eyes  were 
dilated  as  if  with  fear. 

"  Do  you  think  it  could  be  a  duel  ?  and  who  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  They  came  from  the  Grange  and  from  Richmond  Hill,"  he 
answered  in  a  whisper,  as  if  his  tongue  refused  to  utter  the 
dreadful  suspicion  aloud. 

Neither  of  us  spoke  another  word,  but  with  every  nerve  tense 
we  sat  and  watched  the  two  boats  gradually  drawing  nearer 
each  other.  I  do  not  think  any  one  in  either  boat  noticed  us, 
for  we  were  in  the  shadow  of  the  shore  and  the  men  in  the  boats 
were,  no  doubt,  intensely  preoccupied.  The  boat  from  Rich 
mond  Hill  reached  the  landing-place  first,  but  before  it  reached 
it,  we  both  distinctly  recognized  Burr  and  young  Van  Ness; 
the  third  man  we  did  not  recognize  but  we  supposed  him  to  be 
a  physician.  The  other  boat,  from  the  Grange,  must  pass  us  in 
order  to  reach  the  landing-place,  though  at  some  distance  out  in 
the  river. 

"  Oh,  Bayard,"  I  groaned,  "  what  right  have  we  to  sit  here 


410  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

and  let  that  man,  one  of  the  noblest  men  God  ever  made,  go  to 
his  death.  Oh,  if  we  only  dared  stop  him ! " 

But  Bayard  said  nothing.  He  knew  the  hideous  conventions 
of  the  murderous  practice  were  too  strong  for  us  —  we  were  as 
men  with  their  hands  tied. 

As  the  boat  passed  us,  Hamilton's  voice,  clear  and  beautiful 
as  a  musical  instrument  touched  by  a  master's  hand,  floated  to 
us  distinctly  over  the  wide  channel  of  intervening  waters. 

"  I  shall  not  fire,  Pendleton,"  he  said.  "  I  could  not  hon 
orably  refuse  the  encounter,  but  I  will  have  no  man's  blood  upon 
my  head." 

Every  minute  seemed  an  hour  to  us  after  that  second  boat  had 
reached  the  landing,  and  its  occupants  had  disappeared  among 
the  trees  on  a  terrace  a  little  above  the  river.  I  could  not  en 
dure  the  suspense,  and  I  could  see  no  reason  why  we  should  not 
drop  down  beside  the  two  boats  fastened  to  the  landing.  As 
we  came  up,  Dr.  Hosack  was  in  one  of  them  and  recognized 
Bayard.  The  physician  in  the  other  boat  scowled  at  us,  but 
Hosack  seemed  glad  to  see  us. 

"  Bayard,"  he  exclaimed  hurriedly,  "  if  anything  happens  to 
Hamilton  will  you  row  over  to  your  father's  house  and  have  it 
ready  to  receive  him  ?  The  Grange  is  too  far  and  it  would  never 
do  to  bring  him  home  to  his  wife  without  notice." 

There  was  no  time  for  a  reply,  for  at  that  moment  there  was 
the  sharp  report  of  a  pistol  and  Hosack  and  the  other  physician 
sprang  up  the  steep  sides  of  the  embankment.  A  moment  later 
the  second  physician  with  Van  Ness,  shielding  a  third  man  from 
sight  with  an  umbrella,  came  scrambling  hastily  down  the  bank, 
sprang  into  their'  boat  and  pulled  hurriedly  for  Eichmond 
Hill. 

I  looked  at  Bayard,  his  face  was  blanched  with  terror,  as  I  am 
sure  was  mine. 

"  Bayard,"  I  said,  "  I  must  go  to  him  —  will  you  hold  the 
boat?" 

He  nodded  and  I  sprang  up  the  bank,  meeting  Pendleton 
and  Dr.  Hosack  bearing  him  between  them.  I  thought  him 
dead  at  first,  for  he  had  fainted,  but  as  I  took  hold  to  help  bear 


MIGHTY  IN  DEATH  411 

him  as  gently  as  possible  down  the  steep  bank,  he  opened  his 
eyes  and  smiled,  then  fainted  again.  Tears  were  running  down 
Pendleton's  cheeks  and  Hosack's,  and  Bayard  was  sobbing  aloud 
as  we  laid  him  tenderly  in  the  boat,  his  head  and  shoulders 
supported  in  Pendleton's  arms.  Then  I  sprang  into  Bayard's 
boat  and  together  we  pulled,  with  all  our  strength,  for  his 
father's  house,  almost  directly  across  the  river. 

We  reached  it  long  before  the  others.  A  room  was  made 
ready  for  him,  at  once,  on  the  lower  floor,  and  Mr.  Bayard 
and  young  Bayard  and  I  hurried  down  to  the  river  bank  to 
help  bring  him  to  the  house.  As  we  lifted  him  in  our  arms  he 
regained  consciousness  for  a  moment,  and  his  first  thought  was 
of  Mrs.  Hamilton. 

"  Let  someone  tell  my  wife,"  he  said,  "  but  do  not  let  her 
despair;  do  not  let  her  know  there  is  no  hope." 

He  lapsed  into  unconsciousness  again  immediately,  and  how 
reverently  we  bore  him !  To  be  allowed  to  bear  my  part  in  the 
burden  of  that  slight  form  seemed  to  me  an  honor  above  my 
deserts. 

Many  sad  duties  fell  to  me  that  day.  No  horse  in  the  Bay 
ard  stables  was  as  fleet  as  Saladin;  it  was  for  me  to  bear  the 
tidings  to  the  Grange.  Over  and  over  as  Saladin  and  I  flew 
along  the  four  interminable  miles,  I  said  to  myself  — "  How 
can  I  tell  her !  How  can  I  tell  her  and  yet  give  her  hope ! " 

But  at  the  very  gates  of  the  Grange  I  met,  as  I  had  met  them 
the  first  time  I  entered  those  gates,  Mr.  Troup  and  Mr.  Mor 
ris.  Their  suspicions  had  been  aroused  by  something  Mr.  Ham 
ilton  had  said  the  day  before,  and  they  had  ridden  over  early 
from  Morrisania  to  see  if  all  was  well  with  the  friend  dear  to 
their  hearts.  To  break  the  news  to  these  friends  of  years  was 
almost  as  hard  as  to  break  it  to  his  family.  Never  before  and 
never  since  have  I  seen  two  strong  men  utterly  break  down  and 
sob  like  children.  How  men  loved  him! 

But  I  could  leave  Mrs.  Hamilton  and  the  family  to  them 
and  I  rode  back  like  the  wind  to  the  Bayard  mansion,  fearful 
of  the  tidings  that  might  await  me  there,  but  anxious  to  be 
of  any  possible  service.  The  news  had  spread,  and  already  an 


412  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

anxious  crowd  of  friends  was  gathered  on  the  lawn,  waiting 
silently  and  tearfully  for  tidings.  Till  late  in  the  morning 
Saladin  and  I  were  flying  between  the  Bayard  mansion  and  the 
city,  on  errands  for  the  doctors,  and  not  until  there  was  noth 
ing  more  that  I  could  do  did  I  go  back  to  the  City  Tavern, 
for  breakfast.  I  had  been  up  since  four,  and  the  great  strain  of 
all  these  hours  had  left  me  exhausted. 

At  the  door  of  the  tavern  I  met  Irving,  and  he  greeted  me 
in  his  usual  jovial  way. 

"What's  all  the  fuss  about,  Sir  Lionel?"  he  asked.  "Is 
it  war  with  Prance,  or  England  ?  "  for  the  streets  were  full  of 
excited  men. 

I  looked  at  him,  stupefied  for  a  moment. 

"  Is  it  possible  you  've  not  heard  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Heard  what  ? "  he  asked,  but  soberly  enough  now,  for  he 
could  see  that  some  dreadful  thing  had  happened. 

"  Mr.  Burr  shot  Mr.  Hamilton  this  morning,  and  Mr.  Ham 
ilton  is  dying,"  I  said  slowly,  uttering  the  words  with  difficulty. 

For  a  moment  Irving  turned  deadly  pale,  then  the  angry 
blood  rushed  to  his  face  in  a  flood. 

"  It 's  a  lie,"  he  exclaimed  hotly.  "  I  beg  your  pardon," 
he  added  hastily,  as  he  saw  the  quick  resentment  leap  to  my 
eyes.  "  But  it  is  all  a  horrible  mistake !  It  is  impossible !  I 
have  just  come  from  Richmond  Hill,  where  I  breakfasted  witli 
Mr.  Burr.  I  often  breakfast  with  him,  for  the  sake  of  the 
early  morning  walk,  and  nev^er  have  I  seen  him  calmer  or  more 
entertaining,  than  he  was  at  breakfast  this  morning." 

"  It  is  not  possible ! "  I  exclaimed,  using  his  own  words, 
and  horror-struck  at  the  picture  of  the  murderer,  calmly  en 
tertaining  a  friend  at  breakfast,  his  hands  reeking  with  blood. 

"At  what  hour  did  you  breakfast?"  I  added  abruptly,  think 
ing  it  possible  they  had  breakfasted  before  the  duel. 

"  I  reached  Eichmond  Hill  at  half -past  eight,  and  found 
Mr.  Burr  reading  in  his  library.  He  said  he  had  just  had 
his  bath  and  he  invited  me  out  to  breakfast  at  once.  Oh,  no, 
it  is  not  possible !  " 

I  knew  how  Irving  loved  Burr.     He  was  one  of  the  young 


MIGHTY  IN  DEATH  413 

men  who  were  completely  fascinated  by  the  brilliant  Vice- 
president.  Moreover,  he  had  once  been  very  much  in  love 
with  Theodosia  and  had  transferred  something  of  his  tender 
ness  for  the  daughter  to  the  father.  I  knew  how  he  would 
suffer  when  he  realized  the  truth,  for  he  loved  Hamilton,  too, 
and  honored  him  above  all  men. 

"  Oh,  Irving,  it  is  too  true !  "  I  groaned.  "  I  was  there  to 
see.  I  saw  Burr  flee  from  the  dueling  ground;  I  helped  to 
carry  Hamilton  to  the  Bayard  mansion,  where  he  is  dying." 

His  face  was  pitiful  to  see.  I  think  sometimes  that  those 
faces  that  are  used  to  be  "  wreathed  in  jollity  "  are  the  saddest 
of  all  faces  when  sorrow  strikes  them  down.  I  took  him  to 
my  room,  where  I  had  an  egg,  a  piece  of  toast  and  a  cup  of  coffee 
sent  up,  and  then,  together,  we  went  back  and  joined  that  wait 
ing  throng  on  the  lawn  at  the  Bayards.  All  that  day  and  all 
that  night  and  far  into  the  next  day  it  stood  there  patiently 
waiting  for  the  tiniest  scrap  of  tidings  from  the  man  it  idolized. 
I  do  not  mean  that  all  the  men  stood  there  all  that  time.  Men 
were  coming  and  going,  yes,  and  many  women,  too,  but  always 
was  that  waiting  throng.  And  if  anyone  came  through  the 
doors  like  Gouverneur  Morris,  or  Troup,  or  Matthew  Clarkson, 
any  one  who,  they  knew,  had  come  from  his  bedside,  they 
gathered  around  him  and  begged  for  some  word  of  hope.  But 
there  was  never  any  hope.  Morris  and  Troup  with  the  tears 
rushing  unheeded  from  their  eyes  talked  to  the  throng  of  the 
agony  he  suffered  and  the  brave  way  he  bore  it;  and  how  he 
comforted  the  wife  who  would  not  be  comforted;  and  how  he 
opened  his  eyes,  just  once,  and  looked  at  his  seven  weeping 
children  and  closed  them  again  —  he  could  not  bear  the  sight. 
And  strong  men  sobbed  aloud  as  they  listened. 

And  then  at  two  o'clock  the  next  day  the  end  came,  and 
those  of  us  who  had  hoped  against  hope,  had  to  yield  at  last. 

In  the  splendor  of  a  great  pageant  he  was  borne  to  his  grave. 
All  party  strife  was  forgotten.  Federalist,  Eepublican  and 
Democrat  vied  to  do  him  honor.  The  Order  of  the  Cincinnati, 
most  aristocratic  of  societies,  and  the  Order  of  Tammany,  the 
young  Republican  revolt  against  such  Federal  aristocracy,  were 


414  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

both  in  line.  Behind  his  soldier's  bier,  two  black  men  robed 
in  white,  with  white  turbans,  led  his  gray  charger,  boots  and 
spurs  hanging  reversed  from  the  saddle.  And  behind  all  the 
orders  and  all  the  societies  and  all  the  great  dignitaries  of  the 
land,  followed  a  long  line  of  weeping  citizens. 

Well  might  they  weep!  For  as  Gouverneur  Morris  said,  as 
he  stood  with  Hamilton's  boys  about  him  before  the  open  grave, 
and  uttered  the  brief  and  impassioned  funeral  oration: 

"  I  declare  to  you,  before  that  God  in  whose  presence  we  are 
now  so  especially  assembled,  that  in  his  most  private  and  con 
fidential  conversation,  his  sole  subject  of  discussion  was  your 
freedom  and  your  happiness.  He  never  lost  sight  of  your  in 
terests." 

In  all  these  sad  days  Irving  had  been  my  almost  constant 
companion.  Each  day,  however,  he  slipped  away  for  an  hour 
or  two,  and  I  never  asked  him  where  he  had  been  when  he  re 
turned,  for  I  knew  that  he  had  been  with  Aaron  Burr.  And 
thinking  of  the  brilliant  man,  who  so  coveted  honor  and  loved 
the  adulation  of  his  fellow  men,  sitting  alone,  in  disgrace  with 
all  men,  even  his  friends,  I  could  find  it  in  my  heart  to  pity 
him.  I  would  not  go  to  see  him ;  he  had  been  kind  to  me  many 
times,  but  I  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  ever  looking  upon 
his  face  again. 

The  funeral  was  on  the  fourteenth ;  on  Monday,  the  sixteenth, 
Irving,  Moore  and  I  were  to  sail  with  Captain  Skinner  for 
England,  for  Captain  Skinner  had  returned  to  New  York  ten 
days  before  and  now  he  was  ready  for  the  hazardous  return 
trip.  The  expresses  that  flashed  out  of  the  city  in  every  di 
rection,  the  moment  Hamilton's  death  was  announced,  had 
brought  every  man  of  any  note,  within  a  possible  distance,  to 
the  city.  Mr.  Jay  was  there,  all  the  Livingstons,  Van  Eens- 
selaers,  Van  Cortlandt's,  everybody,  and  among  them  my  young 
friend  William  Jay  from  school  in  New  Haven.  It  gave  me 
a  chance  to  deliver  Saladin  into  his  own  hands  and  to  bid  him 
good-by.  He  had  grown  taller  and  more  manly  in  the  months 
since  I  had  seen  him,  and  I  liked  the  way  he  grasped  my  hand 


MIGHTY  IN  DEATH  415 

and  looked  straight  into  my  eyes,  though  his  voice  was  not  quite 
steady  as  he  said,  "  Either  you  are  coming  back  to  New  York 
or  I  am  going  to  England  before  two  years  are  over.  I  can 
not  lightly  give  up  a  friend  I  have  so  learned  to  love." 

I  was  uttering  many  good-bys  those  last  two  days  and  they 
saddened  me  greatly.  The  Cockloft  Hall  boys  spent  that  Sat 
urday  evening  after  the  funeral  with  me  quietly  in  my  rooms; 
there  was  no  thought  of  revelry  in  the  mind  of  any  one  of  us, 
so  heavy  lay  the  pall  of  grief  for  Hamilton  on  all  our  hearts. 

We  were  to  go  aboard  the  Sea  Gull  on  Sunday  evening,  since 
the  tide  would  be  at  the  flood  early  the  next  morning  and  the 
Sea  Gull  must  take  advantage  of  it.  The  Kilkenny  Lads  and 
William  Jay  and  young  Mr.  Cooper  were  to  go  down  to  the 
boat  with  us  and  see  us  comfortably  settled,  and  I  had  arranged 
with  Captain  Skinner  that  we  should  have  a  little  supper  served 
in  the  cabin  —  a  melancholy  farewell  banquet.  Irving  had  gone 
out  in  the  afternoon  to  Richmond  Hill,  for  a  last  visit,  but  he 
promised  to  be  with  us  in  time  for  supper. 

The  hour  came  and  passed,  and  Irving  had  not  come.  It 
was  long  past,  and  still  he  had  not  come.  We  sat  out  on  the 
deck  in  the  warm  summer  air,  the  waters  quietly  lapping  the 
sides  of  the  vessel,  a  faint  breeze  gently  stirring  the  shrouds, 
and  the  lights  of  the  city,  one  by  one,  dropping  out,  as  the 
hour  grew  later.  His  brothers,  Peter  and  Ebenezer,  were  vis 
ibly  uneasy,  and  I  was  myself  much  troubled,  and  to  divert 
our  minds  I  asked  the  captain  to  serve  our  supper  on  deck, 
without  waiting  longer  for  Irving.  Since  the  trial  there  was 
nothing  Captain  Skinner  would  not  do  for  me,  be  the  trouble 
small  or  great,  and  he  set  about  serving  it  with  alacrity,  hav 
ing  first  made  our  part  of  the  deck  light  as  day,  by  fixing  flaring 
torches  into  linkholes  made  for  the  purpose.  The  good  cap 
tain  had  outdone  himself  in  his  supper,  and  we  were  young, 
with  the  healthy  appetites  of  young  men,  and  neither  the  sor 
row  we  had  been  through,  nor  the  sadness  of  an  approaching 
parting  could  dull  our  appetites. 

We  lingered  al  our  little  feast,  peering  constantly  into  the 
black  depths  beyond  the  circle  of  light  from  the  flaming  torches 


416  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

to  catch  a  glimpse  of  Irving,  but  it  was  long  after  midnight 
when  we  heard  his  step  on  the  wharf,  and  a  moment  later 
he  appeared  in  our  circle  of  light.  It  was  a  worn  and  wan 
specter  of  the  gay  Irving  who  threw  himself  into  a  seat  with 
the  air  of  one  who  is  too  exhausted  to  move  another  step. 

"Lads,"  he  said,  struggling  to  speak  calmly,  "he  is  gone! 
"We  got  him  off  in  a  boat  from  the  foot  of  the  garden  with 
the  greatest  difficulty.  The  warrant  is  out  for  his  arrest,  and 
the  house  was  watched  by  the  officers. 

"  And  God  knows  what  will  become  of  him  alone  on  the  sea 
all  night  in  an  open  boat ! "  he  exclaimed  passionately  with 
quivering  lip. 

For  a  long  moment  no  one  spoke.  I  knew  not  what  was  in 
the  hearts  of  the  others,  but  I  was  looking  off  over  the  dark 
waters  of  the  bay,  and  thinking  of  the  lonely  refugee,  fleeing 
from  the  face  of  justice,  alone  on  that  wide,  black  sea,  and  I 
said  to  myself,  "  By  his  death  the  great  Hamilton  has  disarmed 
and  rendered  helpless  the  one  foe  he  feared  as  a  deadly  menace 
to  the  safety  of  his  idolized  country.  He  has  given  his  life 
for  his  adopted  land!" 


XXXII 

THE  ADORABLE  MISS   LIVINGSTON 

WE  weighed  anchor  at  the  first  turn  of  the  tide  next  morn 
ing  and  went  down  the  harbor  on  the  full  flood.  It  was 
very  early,  but  the  dawn  was  breaking  and  I  was  out  on  deck 
to  see  the  last  of  those  shores  which  I  was  so  urgent  to  leave, 
and  yet,  to  which,  in  my  eleven  months'  sojourn,  I  had  become 
strangely  attached. 

Moore  and  Irving  came  out  and  joined  me  just  as  we  turned 
the  keel  of  the  island  and  swept  round  under  full  sail  by  The 
Battery.  Trinity  spire  was  beginning  to  catch  a  faint  rosy  glow 
from  the  east;  beneath  its  shadow  slept  the  greatest  man  in 
America,  whom  I  had  learned  to  love  well,  and  close  by  stood 
the  City  Tavern,  my  home  through  most  of  these  months.  The 
trees  on  the  Battery  and  the  little  green  beyond  were  stand 
ing  out  with  the  vividness  of  painted  trees  in  that  clear  light 
that  precedes  the  sunrise;  at  the  head  of  that  little  green  was 
Mr.  Livingston's  house  where  I  lay  ill  of  the  fever  and  Ma 
demoiselle  nursed  me  (though  I  knew  it  not  at  the  time)  at 
the  risk  of  her  life;  and  on  that  little  green  we  stood  together 
that  icy  Thanksgiving  morning  and  watched  Van  Arsdale  fasten 
the  flag  to  the  liberty  pole.  As  we  came  farther  round  the 
island  we  saw  the  Paulus  Hook  Ferry,  starting  out  on  its  first 
morning  trip,  and  I  remembered  our  early  crossing,  when  Lloyd 
and  I  rode  down  to  breakfast  at  Liberty  Hall  and  saved  Ma 
demoiselle  from  being  dashed  to  death  on  Saladin's  back.  Every 
object  on  those  fast-receding  shores,  where  I  had  known  and 
loved  her,  spoke  loudly  to  me  of  her,  but  most  of  all  to  be 
standing  on  the  Sea  Gull's  deck  and  watching  those  familiar 
shores  slip  away,  as  eleven  months  before,  side  by  side,  we  had 
watched  them  (new  then,  and  strange)  come  gliding  into  view, 
27  417 


418  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

was  so  powerful  a  reminder  of  her  that  it  was  hard  to  stand 
there  making  perfunctory  speeches  to  Moore  and  Irving  abo\it 
the  city  — "  a  gay  little  Paris  " —  and  the  harbor  — "  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  world." 

As  we  sailed  farther  down  the  harbor  Irving  begged  tho 
captain  to  lend  him  his  glass  and  he  swept  tiie  waters  toward 
the  Jersey  coast  anxiously.  At  last  he  seemed  to  see  some 
thing;  he  held  his  glass  steady  for  a  full  minute,  then  he 
handed  it  to  me. 

"  Look,  Sir  Lionel,"  he  said.  "  I  am  sure  it  is  he !  "  and  his 
voice  trembled  as  he  spoke. 

I  looked  and  saw  a  man,  a  common  water-side  man,  rowing 
an  open  skiff  with  one  passenger  seated  in  the  stern.  There 
was  no  mistaking  the  peculiar  stoop  of  the  passenger's  shoul 
ders —  it  was  Burr.  He  had  been  all  night  on  the  water  and 
now  that  day  was  breaking  they  were  running  into  the  Kill 
van  Kull  and  making  for  the  little  village  of  Elizabeth.  I 
handed  the  glass  back  to  Irving.  Now  that  I  had  located  the 
boat  I  could  follow  it  without  the  aid  of  the  glass,  and  as  we 
watched  it,  we  saw  it  make  a  landing  and  saw  the  passenger 
with  the  unmistakable  stoop,  step  ashore  and  take  his  lonely 
way  toward  the  little  village.  He  disappeared  in  a  few  minutes 
behind  a  plantation  of  young  oaks.  Irving  dropped  the  glass, 
through  which  he  was  still  gazing  intently,  and  furtively  brushed 
away  a  tear  as  he  turned  to  hand  it  to  the  captain;  and  I 
hardly  knew  whether  it  was  with  more  loathing  or  pity  that 
I  had  looked  my  last  on  the  Vice-president  of  the  United  States. 

While  we  had  been  watching  him  the  day  had  brightened 
rapidly,  the  whole  heavens  were  a  glow  of  rose  and  saffron, 
and  as  I  had  sailed  into  that  harbor  over  an  opal-tinted  sea, 
so  over  an  opal-tinted  sea,  I  sailed  out  of  it,  leaving  the  rosy 
glow  behind  us,  and  passing  into  a  gray  world  of  somber  mists 
and  clouds. 

There  could  have  been  no  better  ship  companions  for  a  mel 
ancholy  man  than  the  two  Providence  had  given  me.  They 
were  twin  spirits,  though  one  ran  more  to  a  sparkling  wit  that 


THE  ADORABLE  MISS  LIVINGSTON  419 

enchanted  me,  and  the  other  to  a  genial  humor  that  warmed  the 
very  cockles  of  my  heart.  Yet  much  as  I  delighted  in  them 
both,  it  was  sometimes  a  great  relief  to  get  away  from  them 
for  awhile  and  indulge  in  the  melancholy  pleasure  of  a  reverie 
of  the  past.  I  loved  best  to  get  far  out  in  the  very  bow  of 
the  boat,  where  the  waves,  parted  by  our  swift  prow,  dashed  up 
in  foam  and  fret  against  the  sides  of  the  vessel  and  often 
showered  me  with  their  diamond  spray.  It  was  in  that  spot 
I  had  had  a  memorable  talk  with  Miss  Desloge  and  it  came  to 
me  there,  as  a  sudden  and  strange  revelation,  that  the  man  who 
sat  there  dreaming  of  her  was  in  every  way  a  very  different 
creature  from  the  boy  who  sat  and  talked  with  her  a  year  ago 
in  the  same  spot.  How  light  and  foolish,  now,  looked  my  boy 
ish  passion  for  Peggy !  This  love  I  bore  for  Mademoiselle  was 
no  more  to  be  likened  to  it  than  the  great  swell  of  the  mighty 
Atlantic,  thousands  of  miles  broad  and  fathomless  in  depth 
was  to  be  compared  with  the  light  froth  that  dashed  impotently 
against  the  staunch  vessel's  prow. 

Though  I  hope  it  was  not  evident  to  Irving  and  Moore  (I 
certainly  struggled  hard  against  any  betrayal  of  it)  I  was  fast 
falling  into  a  settled  melancholy,  and  the  reason  for  it  was  the 
utter  hopelessness  of  my  passion.  I  thought  then  that  no  man 
had  ever  been  in  quite  so  desperate  a  case.  Had  it  simply  been 
that  she  did  not  love  me,  I  could  have  set  to  work  to  win  her 
love;  had  it  been,  as  I  once  believed,  that  she  loved  me  but 
was  unwilling  to  marry  outside  of  her  native  land,  I  was  con 
fident  I  could,  in  time,  have  overcome  that  objection.  And, 
but  for  this  war  with  Bonaparte,  even  her  sudden,  unannounced 
departure  would  not  have  daunted  me;  I  would  have  followed 
her  to  France  and  convinced  her.  But  if  this  war  was  to  last 
fifteen  years,  as  the  last  had  done,  then  indeed  it  was  a  hopeless 
outlook. 

Going  over  this  ceaseless  treadmill  of  reasoning,  far  out 
in  the  bow  one  morning,  I  made  a  sudden  vow  —  Be  it  fifteen 
years,  or  longer,  I  will  go  to  France  when  this  war  is  ended 
and  find  her.  And  feeling  the  better  for  my  vow  I  went  back 
to  Moore  and  Irving  in  lighter  spirits  than  I  had  been  since 


420  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

that  day  in  Miss  Livingston's  drawing-room  when  she  told  me 
Mademoiselle  had  sailed. 

Our  voyage  was  an  uneventful  one.  Moore  and  Irving  proved 
fair  sailors,  only  succumbing  to  the  sickness  for  a  few  days  when 
the  gales  struck  us  up  among  the  roaring  forties.  Once  a 
French  privateer  sighted  us  and  gave  chase,  but  Captain  Skinner 
unlimbered  the  swivel  at  the  stern  of  the  boat,  sent  a  shot 
across  the  Frenchman's  bows  and  then,  the  Sea  Gull  showing  a 
clean  pair  of  heels,  we  were  soon  out  of  sight. 

At  a  little  port  on  the  west  coast  of  France  we  landed  Irving ; 
he  was  bound,  by  way  of  Paris,  for  Italy,  but  he  was  to  be  in 
England  by  Christmas,  and  there  was  little  room  for  regret 
at  the  parting  on  either  side,  since  he  was  all  excitement  at 
the  thought  of  Eome  and  Venice,  and  I  at  the  thought  of  home. 
My  excitement  grew  with  every  hour,  for  it  was  not  many  hours 
after  saying  good-by  to  Irving  until  we  had  left  the  coast  of 
France  and  were  making  a  straight  crossing  for  Clover  Combe. 
All  the  little  village  was  out  to  see  the  landing  of  the  Sea  Gull; 
they  had  been  watching  for  it  for  days,  and  as  I  stood  on  the 
deck,  while  the  sailors  were  slowly  heaving  the  big  ship  ahead 
to  lay  her  snugly  by  the  little  wharf,  crowded  with  the  old 
friends  of  my  boyhood  —  weather-beaten  fishermen,  their  smil 
ing  wives  and  pretty  daughters  from  the  village;  keepers,  for 
esters,  farmers  and  house-servants  from  the  Court  —  I  saw 
my  father,  his  fine  head  bared,  with  its  handsome  crop  of  curls 
just  touched  with  frost,  looking  not  a  day  older  than  that  day 
I  saw  him  last  standing  on  the  great  wharf  at  Greenwich  look 
ing  up  at  me,  as  he  was  looking  up  at  me  now  from  the  little 
wharf  at  Clover  Combe,  his  eyes  shining  with  the  strongest, 
truest  and  finest  emotion  earth  knows  —  a  father's  love  for  his 
son. 

I  had  been  at  home  a  week,  and  every  day  Aunt  Pamela 
(dear  Aunt  Pamela,  who  kissed  me  and  wept  over  me,  scolded 
me  and  flattered  me,  all  in  a  breath,  as  she  came  running  out 
on  the  south  terrace  to  meet  me)  every  day  she  said  to  me  — 
"  When  are  you  going  to  call  on  your  neighbor  of  Broadfields  ?  " 


THE  ADORABLE  MISS  LIVINGSTON  421 

"  Very  soon,"  I  always  answered  her  smilingly,  "  I  'm  waiting 
for  my  new  uniform,  you  know." 

And  indeed  I  intended  to  call  soon,  nor  was  I  waiting  for 
my  uniform;  an  indefinable  shyness  or  dread,  I  knew  not 
which,  made  me  put  it  off  from  day  to  day. 

It  was  at  dinner,  on  the  afternoon  of  our  arrival,  that  Aunt 
Pamela  told  me  her  wonderful  piece  of  news  —  Eosamond  Du- 
four  had  returned  to  Broadfields !  She  confessed  that  she  had 
been  bursting  with  it  for  the  entire  three  hours  that  we  had 
been  on  land,  but  had  saved  it  for  a  place  and  opportunity 
befitting  such  an  announcement.  "We  were  having  dinner  on 
the  great  south  terrace,  sheltered  from  the  late  afternoon  sun 
by  a  beech  copse  on  the  west,  and  catching  glimpses  of  the 
sea  through  openings  in  the  oaks  and  lindens  of  the  park  to 
the  south.  It  wras  an  old  Clover  Combe  custom  to  have  din 
ner  on  the  south  terrace  on  fine  days  in  summer,  and  young 
Mr.  Moore  (who  was  spending  the  night  with  me  but  could 
be  prevailed  upon  to  delay  his  setting  out  for  London  no  longer 
than  the  next  morning)  was  extravagant  in  his  praise  of  the 
views,  the  air,  the  beeches,  the  oaks,  and  most  of  all  the  dining 
out  of  doors.  We  had  only  been  on  shore  three  hours,  but  in 
that  three  hours  I  had  tried  to  visit  as  many  of  my  old  haunts 
as  possible  and  I  had  kept  young  Moore  rushing  from  stables 
to  kennels,  from  park  to  garden,  from  deer  preserve  to  rabbit 
warren;  dragging  him  upstairs  to  show  him  my  favorite  Sir 
Joshua  hanging  in  the  north  corridor,  and  downstairs  to  the 
library  to  give  him  a  glimpse  of  my  father's  treasures  —  El 
zevirs,  rare  old  editions,  wonderfully  tooled  bindings.  I  was 
like  a  child  home  from  Rugby  with  a  schoolmate,  to  whom  he 
must  show  all  his  treasures  the  first  moment  of  his  arrival. 

\Ve  were  in  a  fitting  frame  of  mind  and  body,  therefore,  to 
enjoy  the  quiet  of  dinner,  a  cool  breeze  from  the  sea  blowing 
up  through  the  park  to  the  terrace,  and  the  long  shadows  lying 
on  the  turf,  whose  like  I  had  not  seen  in  America,  of  so  rich 
a  green,  so  deep  and  velvety. 

I  had  shown  sufficient  surprise  to  please  Aunt  Pamela  at 
her  bit  of  news. 


422  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Eosie  Dufour !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  How  long  has  she  been 
here  ?  How  did  she  get  through  the  lines  ?  " 

It  was  my  father  who  answered. 

"  She  has  been  home  several  weeks.  I  don't  think  she  found 
much  difficulty  in  getting  through ;  there  are  ways  of  managing 
it,  I  suppose." 

"  And  is  she  —  is  she  any  better  looking  than  she  was  as 
a  child?"  I  asked. 

"  She  was  always  good  looking,"  my  aunt  answered  promptly. 
"  Eosie  Dufour  was  a  very  pretty  child." 

"  Perhaps  so,  if  you  like  red  hair,"  I  answered ;  "  but  I  sup 
pose  I  was  too  young  to  be  a  judge  of  beauty." 

"  Her  hair  has  darkened  with  the  years ;  I  think  you  might 
call  her  very  good-looking,"  my  father  said  with  a  twinkling 
eye,  "but  you  can  judge  for  yourself  when  you  see  her." 
•  The  talk  very  naturally  drifted  back  to  our  childhood  days, 
Eosie's  and  mine,  and  the  pranks  she  was  continually  playing, 
until  Mr.  Moore  insisted  that  he  felt  a  very  lively  interest  as 
to  how  a  child  of  that  kind  had  grown  up;  he  was  greatly 
tempted  to  postpone  London  for  a  day  or  two  and  see  for  him 
self. 

However,  the  temptation  was  not  strong  enough;  he  was  off 
the  next  morning,  and  he  was  hardly  out  of  the  house  before 
Aunt  Pamela  had  asked  me  if  I  was  going  to  call  at  Broad- 
fields  that  morning,  a  question  which  she  repeated  daily,  and 
I  answered  every  day  in  the  same  fashion. 

It  had  been  a  busy  week.  Even  if  I  had  been  greatly  in 
terested  in  my  neighbor  (and  I  said  to  myself  I  could  never 
again  feel  interest  in  any  woman)  I  would  have  found 
it  difficult  to  make  the  time  for  the  call.  I  had  found  my 
captain's  commission  awaiting  me  on  my  return  home;  in  one 
month  I  was  to  report  at  Portsmouth.  It  had  been  a  great 
disappointment  to  my  father  that  I  had  not  received  his  letter 
earlier  —  I  would  have  been  home  ten  weeks  sooner  and  had 
ten  weeks  more  to  spend  with  him  before  setting  out  for  the 
seat  of  war.  Now  the  time  was  so  short  that  most  of  it  must 
be  occupied  in  preparations. 


THE  ADORABLE  MISS  LIVINGSTON  423 

My  father  knew  the  story  of  Mademoiselle's  abrupt  departure, 
and  that  I  had  never  had  a  chance  to  make  the  proposal  he 
had  given  me  his  consent  to  make;  I  had  written  it  to  him 
briefly,  just  before  setting  out  with  Mr.  Moore  for  Niagara. 
I  thought  I  had  seen  in  his  eyes  since  my  return  that  he  wanted 
to  have  a  talk  with  me  about  it,  and  I  was  not  surprised,  there 
fore,  when  he  asked  me  to  come  into  his  library  almost  imme 
diately  after  Mr.  Moore's  departure. 

He  did  not  begin  on  it  at  once;  he  had  many  things  to  say 
of  my  coming  of  age,  which  would  be  in  October  (and  I  told 
him  I  had  spent  my  twentieth  birthday  in  the  Bridewell)  but 
he  came  around  to  it  at  last. 

"  My  son,"  he  said,  "  I  want  you  to  know  that  you  have  my 
sympathy  in  your  trouble.  I  have  heard  that  Miss  Desloge  was 
in  every  way  worthy,  and  though  you  know  I  had  set  my  heart 
on  Broadfields  and  Rosamond  Dufour,  I  would  have  welcomed 
gladly  a  daughter  whom,  from  all  accounts,  you  had  so  wisely 
chosen." 

This  was  much  for  my  father  to  say;  he  was  a  man  of  few 
words  where  matters  of  the  heart  were  concerned,  and  I  was 
touched  by  his  sympathy  and  could  only  respond  by  bowing  my 
head.  He  went  on  with  more  hesitation,  seeing,  I  suppose,  that 
I  was  deeply  moved,  and  feeling,  I  thought,  the  delicacy  one 
would  feel  in  speaking  of  any  other  woman  to  a  man  who  has 
just  lost  his  dearest  friend  by  death. 

"  About  Miss  Dufour,  Lionel,"  he  said  gently,  "  of  course  I 
know  that  you  are  in  no  mood  to  be  calling  on  the  ladies,  but 
I  think  a  formal  call  of  courtesy  on  your  old  friend  and  nearest 
neighbor  is  due  her,  and  hard  as  it  may  be  to  bring  your  mind 
to  such  a  duty,  I  believe  you  will  be  the  better  for  making  the 
effort.  After  your  first  call  you  need  see  no  more  of  her  than 
you  like." 

Of  course  I  readily  promised  my  father  to  make  the  call,  and 
I  intended  to  do  so  at  once,  but,  as  I  said  before,  either  from 
shyness  or  dread,  I  kept  putting  it  off,  and  a  whole  week  had 
passed  when  it  suddenly  occurred  to  me  that  Rosamond  Dufour 
was  a  friend,  a  dear  friend,  of  Miss  Desloge.  We  would  at  least 


424  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

have  a  topic  of  conversation  of  mutual  interest,  and  it  was  pos 
sible  I  might  hear  of  her  safe  arrival  in  Paris  and  her  address 
there  —  for  I  had  been  too  dazed  at  first  to  think  of  asking 
Miss  Livingston  for  it,  and  later  I  could  not  bring  my  mind  to 
approach  Miss  Livingston  upon  any  subject ;  so  dreadful  seemed 
to  me  the  cruelty  of  temper  that  had  forced  a  young  girl  to 
flee  from  her  protection  in  haste.  For  I  had  never  doubted  that 
Miss  Livingston  had  compelled  Mademoiselle  to  this  course  and 
compelled  her,  I  had  the  presumption  to  think,  because  she  found 
in  her  too  formidable  a  rival  to  her  own  hopes. 

It  was  not  an  hour  after  it  had  so  suddenly  occurred  to  me 
that  Miss  Dufour  was  Miss  Desloge's  friend  that  I  found  myself 
crossing  the  park  to  the  familiar  gap  in  the  high  hedge  that 
separated  the  park  from  Broadfields.  It  had  been  a  long  time 
since  I  had  entered  the  house ;  it  had  been  closed  for  years,  and 
I  was  interested,  in  spite  of  myself,  to  note  the  evidences  of 
taste  —  the  taste  of  a  young  lady,  and  French  at  that  —  with 
which  the  small  drawing-room  was  furnished.  Books,  pictures, 
flowers,  a  work  table  on  which  lay  a  piece  of  fine  needlework, 
evidently  hastily  laid  down,  an  open  piano,  with  a  song  that 
I  had  heard  Miss  Desloge  sing  and  greatly  admired,  on  the 
rack. 

The  long  windows  were  open  and  I  had  hardly  seated  myself 
when  through  them,  from  the  lawn,  bounded  a  handsome  collie 
with  a  magnificent  white  ruff  and  waistcoat.  His  head  was 
turned  as  if  expecting  someone  to  follow  him  and  I  rose  to  my 
feet  feeling  quite  sure  Miss  Dufour  was  about  to  enter,  and 
feeling,  quite  unexpectedly,  a  queer,  trembling  excitement  at 
the  thought  of  seeing  my  little  playfellow. 

But  I  was  mistaken;  the  dazzling  vision  that  ran  lightly 
across  the  lawn  and  through  the  window,  evidently  in  a  romp 
with  the  collie,  and  of  whom  I  saw  nothing  distinctly  but  a 
confused  blur  of  red-gold  curls  and  glowing  dark  eyes,  was 
not  Miss  Dufour ! 

The  vision  came  to  a  sudden  stop  just  inside  the  window, 
startled  by  my  unexpected  appearance. 


THE  ADORABLE  MISS  LIVINGSTON  425 

"  You  here ! "  I  gasped,  and  for  the  life  of  me  could  not 
utter  another  word,  nor,  for  a  moment,  move  a  muscle.  Then 
as  I  saw  the  swift  blood  rushing  in  a  flood  over  the  creamy 
whiteness  of  face  and  neck,  I  stepped  quickly  forward,  both 
hands  extended;  but  before  I  reached  her  I  stopped  short,  and 
let  my  hands  fall  to  my  side.  I  remembered  she  had  left  me 
without  a  word  of  explanation  or  farewell;  she  had  been  com 
ing  straight  to  my  native  land  to  make  my  childhood's  friend 
a  visit,  and  yet,  not  a  hint  of  it  to  me.  It  must  be  that  she 
desired  to  make  this  visit  while  I  was  in  a  distant  land,  thus 
securing  her  from  all  possibility  of  intrusion  from  me.  Perhaps 
she  feared  that  if  I  had  known  she  was  coming,  I  would  either 
have  returned  with  her  on  the  Sea  Gull  or  taken  the  first  ship 
following. 

All  this  flashed  through  my  mind  with  the  swiftness  of  the 
lightning.  Instead  of  seizing  her  hands,  as  I  had  started  to 
do,  I  made  her  a  very  low  bow. 

"  Mademoiselle's  methods  are  inscrutable,"  I  said ;  "  I  should 
have  supposed  it  would  have  been  only  natural  to  confide  to  a 
friend,  who  I  believe  has  proved  his  sincerity,  her  intention 
of  visiting  a  friend  of  hers  who  was  also  a  very  old  friend  of 
his." 

She  curtsied  deeply  in  response.  A  demure  dimple  was  play 
ing  hide  and  seek  just  where  the  double  curves  of  the  scarlet 
lips  met  each  other.  The  dark  lashes  were  lying  on  the  soft 
rose  of  the  rounded  cheek.  I  could  not  see  whether  they  hid 
that  familiar  twinkle,  but  I  was  very  sure  they  did  —  and  I 
knew  not  why. 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  she  said,  still  with  downcast  eyes,  "  it  is  pos 
sible  to  be  the  victim  of  circumstances,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"  Mademoiselle !  "  I  cried,  sure  now  that  Miss  Livingston  had 
compelled  her  to  go  and  would  not  permit  her  to  communicate 
with  me.  "  Mademoiselle,  it  was  all  Miss  Livingston's  doing, 
was  it  not  ?  " 

And  as  I  spoke  I  seized  her  hand  in  both  of  mine  and  held 
it  close. 


426  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

"  Yes,"  she  said  demurely,  "  it  was  all  Miss  Livingston's 
doing,"  and  then  she  made  a  faint  struggle  to  release  her  hand, 
to  which  I  paid  no  attention,  except  to  hold  it  closer. 

"  I  knew  it ! "  I  cried.  "  The  cruelest,  most  heartless  of 
women!  Oh,  Mademoiselle,  you  cannot  be  happier  than  I  am 
to  see  you  free  of  her  tyranny.  And  listen  to  me,  look  at  me, 
I  beg " —  one  fleeting  glance  she  gave  me,  but  her  eyes  fell 
instantly,  as  if  she  could  not  bear  the  flame  in  mine.  "  Do 
not  tell  me  again  that  you  will  never  marry  anyone  but  a 
Frenchman.  My  father  is  waiting  to  welcome  you  as  a  daugh 
ter.  Will  you  come  ?  " 

Her  color  grew  steadily  deeper  and  the  hand  I  held  trembled 
in  my  clasp,  but  she  made  a  brave  effort  to  answer  me. 

"  I  never  said  that  I  would  marry  none  but  a  Frenchman," 
she  said  shyly,  with  a  half  glance  at  me  and  that  mocking 
dimple  peeping  at  me  from  its  hiding  place. 

"  Never  said  so ! "  I  echoed,  and  could  not  understand  her 
at  all.  Had  I  been  mad  all  these  months!  Then  I  drew  my 
self  up  as  straight  and  as  tall  as  I  could  make  myself,  and  let 
her  hand  drop. 

"  Mademoiselle,"  I  said  formally,  "  I  have  the  honor  to 
offer  you  the  hand  of  an  Englishman.  Will  you  accept  it  ?  His 
heart  has  been  so  long  in  your  keeping,  it  is  not  his  to  offer." 

She  glanced  up  at  me  quickly  and  shyly  once  more,  and  then 
her  head  drooped,  but  she  said  not  a  word. 

"  Mademoiselle,  I  implore  you,  answer  me ! "  I  entreated. 
"  I  have  sent  up  my  name  to  Miss  Dufour  and  she  may  come 
in  upon  us  at  any  moment,  and,  glad  as  I  shall  be  to  see  my 
old  friend,  I  could  not  endure  the  suspense  of  talking  to  her 
and  not  knowing  your  answer." 

She  lifted  her  head  and  looked  straight  at  me.  There  was 
the  old,  saucy,  familiar  twinkle  dancing  an  Irish  jig  in  her 
beautiful  eyes  and  her  scarlet  lips  were  curving  into  a  bewitch 
ing  smile.  Something  in  the  smile,  in  the  familiar  twinkle,  and 
the  familiar  surroundings  —  it  took  the  combination  of  all 
three  —  penetrated  my  stupid  brain. 

"  Why !    WHY ! !     WHY ! ! !  "  I  cried,  each  exclamation  more 


THE  ADORABLE  MISS  LIVINGSTON  427 

intense  than  the  last,  "  you  are  Miss  Duf our ! "  and  I  sprang 
toward  her,  thinking  all  my  troubles  were  ended.  But  she 
drew  herself  up  quite  tall  and  stately. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  with  the  air  of  an  empress,  "  I  am  Rosa 
mond  Dufour,  '  that  red-headed,  freckle-faced  baby ! ' ' 

"  Oh,  Rosamond,"  I  groaned,  "  you  surely  will  not  hold  that 
against  me !  "  And  was  going  on  to  plead  my  cause  but  I 
stopped  short. 

"  Why  are  you  masquerading  under  a  false  name  ? "  I  in 
quired  severely.  And  without  waiting  for  her  answer,  for  an 
other  suggestion  had  flashed  into  my  mind  — 

"  Did  not  Mr.  La  Force  know  your  name  was  Dufour  ?  he 
always  called  you  Mademoiselle  Desloge." 

"  Will  you  be  seated,  Sir  Lionel  ?  "  with  the  smile  and  the 
tone  of  a  gracious  hostess  to  a  comparative  stranger,  "  and 
permit  me  to  be  seated  also?  Then  we  can  talk  it  over  at 
our  ease." 

She  led  the  way  as  she  spoke  to  some  seats  near  the  windows 
that  opened  onto  the  lawn  on  the  side  of  the  house  looking 
toward  Clover  Combe  Court,  the  tops  of  whose  towers,  a  mile 
away,  rising  above  the  tall  trees  of  the  park,  I  could  catch  a 
glimpse  of  through  the  open  windows.  It  was  through  the 
southern  windows,  looking  toward  the  sea  that  she  and  the  collie 
had  made  their  entrance. 

I  think  I  had  been  more  at  my  ease  standing.  For  the 
first  time  I  began  to  feel  embarrassed  —  I  had  had  no  time  for 
embarrassment  up  to  this  moment,  one  intense  emotion  had 
succeeded  the  other  so  swiftly.  I  had  asked  two  questions, 
and  as  yet  she  had  answered  neither.  I  said  nothing  fur 
ther,  but  having  seated  myself,  I  looked  at  her,  waiting  for  a 
reply. 

"  Monsieur,"  she  said,  and  corrected  herself  quickly,  "  Sir 
Lionel,  I  am  masquerading  under  no  false  name.  You  have 
forgotten,  perhaps,  that  my  family  name  is  Desloge  —  Du 
four.  In  England,  as  is  the  custom,  I  am  called  Miss  Dufour; 
in  France,  also  according  to  custom,  I  am  called  Mademoiselle 
Desloge.  Mr.  La  Force  never  knew  me  by  any  other  title,  except 


428  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

that  he  knew  my  name  was  Eosamond  —  you  seem  not  to  have 
known,  or  cared,  whether  I  had  any  baptismal  name." 

"  No,"  I  said  wonderingly,  "  I  never  even  thought  of  it  — 
to  me  you  were  always  '  Mademoiselle/  And  Mademoiselle,"  I 
added  quickly  (I  was  not  sure  but  I  liked  the  title  quite  as 
well  as  Eosamond)  "  Mademoiselle,  how  did  the  mistress  of 
Broadfields,  and  an  heiress  in  her  own  right,  happen  to  hire 
herself  out  to  service  with  an  American?  And  to  endure  such 
insults  and  contumely  —  it  is  difficult  to  understand." 

"  Sir  Lionel,  do  you  like  Miss  Livingston  ?  " 

"  I  detest  her !  "  I  snapped. 

"  Do  you  suppose  that  I  like  her  ?  " 

"  I  should  suppose  that  you  had  more  reason  to  detest  her 
than  I.  No," — correcting  myself — "not  so  great  reason;  she 
was  cruel,  tyrannical,  insulting  to  one  I  love  much  more  than 
she  loves  herself." 

She  only  noticed  my  speech  with  a  fleeting  blush. 

"  Monsieur,"  she  said  fervently,  "  I  adore  her !  And  I  will 
never  love  any  man  who  does  not  adore  her  also." 

"You  make  it  hard  for  me,  Mademoiselle,"  I  answered. 
"You  demand  of  me  the  labors  of  Hercules.  Besides,  there 
is  only  one  woman  I  could  ever  adore;  nor  should  I  suppose 
that  woman  would  want  me  to  adore  another." 

"  0  not  in  the  same  way,  of  course,"  with  another  light 
blush.  "  But  you  ought  to  adore  her,  for  you  owe  her  much." 

"You  speak  in  riddles,  Mademoiselle.  I  believe  I  owe  her 
much,  but  it  is  in  the  way  of  retribution,  not  gratitude." 

"  I  speak  in  riddles,  still  more  have  I  acted  in  riddles,  now 
I  am  going  to  unriddle  them  for  you.  I  was  never  in  service 
to  Miss  Livingston;  I  have  never  earned  a  penny  in  my  life." 

"You  and  Miss  Livingston  have  deliberately  deceived  me, 
then !  "  I  exclaimed  hotly.  "  For  what  purpose,  pray  ?  " 

"You  speak  hard  words,  sir,"  flushing  in  her  turn;  "I  am 
not  compelled  to  unriddle  my  riddle,  and  if  you  are  to  take 
it  in  that  humor  I  will  let  it  stand  as  it  is." 

"  Mademoiselle,"  I  entreated  quickly,  "  forgive  me.  I  have 
not  yet  that  complete  control  of  a  hasty  temper  that  I  am 


THE  ADORABLE  MISS  LIVINGSTON"  429 

striving  for.  I  appreciate  greatly  the  kindness  you  are  doing 
me  and  I  pray  you  go  on." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  with  a  smile  of  comprehension.  "  It 
all  came  about  in  an  accidental  way,  with  no  intention  of 
deceiving.  Miss  Livingston  and  I  have  been  for  several  years 
very  close  friends,  ever  since  she  came  to  Paris  with  her  father 
and  was  entered  as  a  pupil  at  the  convent  of  Les  Soeurs  Angel- 
iques.  When  her  education  was  finished  she  desired  greatly 
to  go  home  to  America,  rather  than  remain  in  Paris  with  the 
rest  of  the  family,  and  her  father  sent  her  home  under  the 
care  of  Mrs.  Pomeroy.  She  begged  me  to  go  home  with  her, 
for  a  long  visit,  but  there  were  reasons  then,"  said  Mademoiselle 
hesitating  and  blushing  brightly,  "  why  I  did  not  wish  to  go  so 
far  from  home.  Afterwards  my  affairs  changed,  and  I  wrote 
her  I  would  come.  About  the  time  I  made  my  decision,  your 
uncle  wrote  to  Mr.  Livingston  in  Paris  telling  him  of  your 
father's  plan  of  sending  you  to  America  and  asked  him  for 
letters  of  introduction." 

"  So  you  knew  I  was  going  to  America  ?  "  I  interrupted  her. 
"  Did  you  know  I  would  be  on  the  Sea  Gull  ?  " 

"  No,  and  I  was  terribly  startled  when  you  first  came  to 
the  table  and  Captain  Skinner  introduced  you  as  Sir  Lionel 
Marchmont.  I  thought  you  would  recognize  me  and  Miss  Liv 
ingston's  plan  would  be  spoiled." 

"  Miss  Livingston's  plan !  "  I  echoed.  "  What  did  Miss  Liv 
ingston  have  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  had  written  her  of  your  intended  visit,  and  that 
your  father  was  sending  you  to  America  because  of  an  unfortu 
nate  love  affair,  and — " 

But  I  interrupted  her  again. 

"  Then  you  knew  about  Peggy  all  the  time  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  No,  not  about  Peggy.  Your  uncle  only  said  *  an  unfortu 
nate  love  affair/  Miss  Livingston  knew  of  you;  I  had  often 
spoken  of  my  playmate  '  Lion,'  and  her  quick  brain  devised  a 
scheme  that  was  to  make  you  forget  Peggy.  I  was  to  be,  in 
public,  Miss  Livingston's  maid,  or  paid  companion.  She  was 
to  treat  me  haughtily  or  tyrannically,  and  Miss  Livingston 


430  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

said :  '  If  Sir  Lionel  did  not  forget  his  unfortunate  love  in  his 
interest  in  the  poor,  downtrodden  dependent,  he  was  not 
worth  being  interested  in ! ' : 

Now  I  understood  all  that  had  puzzled  me  on  the  Sea  Gull; 
why  she  avoided  meeting  me  as  much  as  possible;  why  she 
treated  me  so  coldly  when  we  met,  and  especially  I  understood 
that  strange  glance  that  I  had  attributed  to  French  coquetry. 

But  there  were  other  things  still  more  interesting  to  me  in 
her  story.  It  had  all  been  told  with  such  hesitation  and  em 
barrassment  as  delighted  me  greatly.  Was  she  not  betraying 
with  every  word  that  they  had  formed  a  plot  to  win  my  love? 
All  this  time  that  I  had  been  thinking  myself  the  ardent  wooer 
I  was,  in  fact,  being  wooed. 

rt  And  so,"  I  said,  "  while  I  was  so  wrought  up  over  your 
sufferings,  you  and  Miss  Livingston  were  laughing  in  your 
sleeves  at  me." 

She  looked  a  little  shamefaced. 

"  Oh,  no,  not  laughing,"  she  said  quickly,  "  we  —  admired 
your  generous  spirit." 

"Now  that  I  recall  it,  I  heard  you  laughing  at  me  once 
when  I  passed  your  door  at  Clermont.  It  was  after  Miss  Liv 
ingston  had  been  especially  brutal  and  I  had  told  you  that  I 
would  not  stay  under  her  roof  another  day." 

"  I  know,"  she  said,  looking  still  more  shamefaced.  "  I 
was  often  afraid  we  were  carrying  it  too  far,  and  I  was  often 
sorry  for  you." 

"  No  man  likes  to  be  made  a  fool  of,  I  suppose  you  know, 
Mademoiselle,"  I  said  sternly. 

She  looked  the  picture  of  distress.  "  You  will  never  forgive 
me,"  she  murmured. 

"  I  never  ought  to,  but  I  will,"  I  answered.  "  I  find  I  can't 
help  forgiving  you  anything,  which  is  very  weak  and  foolish  of 
me.  But  Miss  Livingston  —  I  am  not  sure  I  will  forgive  her." 

"You  have  nothing  to  forgive  her  —  she  sacrificed  herself 
most  nobly  for  your  sake." 

"I  believe  that  is  true,"  I  answered  slowly,  "for  she  made 
herself  appear,  not  to  me  alone,  but  to  any  who  happened  to  be 


"  You  will  never  forgive  me,"  she  murmured 


THE  ADORABLE  MISS  LIVINGSTON  431 

present,  in  a  most  unamiable  light.     I  wonder  Kemble's  in 
terest  in  her  could  survive  it." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Kemble  knew,"  she  said  demurely. 

"Mr.  Kemble  KNEW!"  I  exclaimed.  "And  pray  how 
many  more  knew  that  I  was  being  made  a  fool  of  ?  "  I  asked, 
inwardly  seething,  but  outwardly  calm. 

"  Mayor  Livingston  knew,  of  course,  and  Mr.  Hamilton  — 
there  was  no  one  else;  though  I  object  to  your  twice-uttered 
expression  —  there  was  no  thought  of  making  a  fool  of  you." 

Her  voice  had  a  steely  ring  that  I  did  not  like  on  her  last 
words.  A  new  idea  flashed  into  my  head. 

"  Mademoiselle,  your  leaving  New  York,  then,  so  suddenly, 
and  without  a  word  to  me,  was  not  because  Miss  Livingston 
was  angry  and  compelled  you  to  go  ?  " 

"  No." 

"Why  did  you  go?" 

"  Sir  Lionel,"  she  said  petulantly,  "  I  have  been  very  patient 
under  your  catechism,  but  my  patience  is  not  inexhaustible." 

I  was  silent  a  moment;  I  thought  I  understood.  It  flashed 
into  my  mind  that  the  whole  plot  had  been  a  contrivance  of 
Miss  Livingston's  to  give  Rosamond  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
and  knowing  her  old  playmate  without  herself  being  known; 
that  in  so  doing  she  could  judge  for  herself  what  manner  of 
man  he  was.  I  believed  that  in  so  judging,  she  had  finally 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  not  a  man  after  her  own 
heart,  but,  in  the  meanwhile,  Miss  Livingston's  scheme  had 
worked  too  well :  the  man  was  madly  in  love  with  the  poor 
dependent  and  her  only  way  of  getting  rid  of  him  was  to  escape 
for  home  without  his  knowledge.  I  thought,  also,  that  I  knew 
exactly  what  had  destroyed  the  liking  she  had  certainly  felt 
for  me  at  first:  it  was  the  unfavorable  report  she  had  heard 
of  my  doings  in  New  York  before  Thanksgiving,  and  that  still 
more  unfortunate  night  _  at  the  theater.  She  believed  me  a 
drinking-man  and  a  brawler,  no  doubt,  and  my  note  of  explana 
tion  had  not  convinced  her. 

This  was  a  terrible  blow  to  me.  Having  found  her  when  I 
thought  I  had  lost  her  forever,  my  spirits  had  flown  to  the 


432  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

highest  heaven  and  I  believed  all  my  troubles  ended;  it  seemed 
to  me  now  that  I  was  in  lower  depths  than  I  had  ever  been. 
Heretofore  I  had  believed  circumstances  were  against  me,  now 
I  saw  that  it  was  Mademoiselle  herself.  And  having  found 
little  Kosie,  my  childhood's  playmate  and  my  boyhood's  sweet 
heart,  one  with  Mademoiselle,  my  manhood's  love,  had  seemed 
to  me  a  wonderful  combination,  and  now  all  that  was  lovely 
and  beautiful  in  womankind  had  come  to  me  only  to  be  lost; 
and  lost  in  dear  old  Broadfields  where  every  association  would 
have  made  the  finding  so  much  the  dearer.  I  bowed  my  head 
on  my  hands  for  a  few  minutes,  overwhelmed  by  this  sudden 
transition  from  the  supreme  joy  I  had  felt  at  meeting  her  once 
more,  to  this  dull  despair  that  was  settling  around  my  heart 
with  the  conviction  that  she  was  lost  to  me. 

When  I  lifted  my  head  I  found  her  watching  me  solicitously, 
but  that  wasi  only  her  tender  heart;  I  knew  it  could  not  bear 
to  see  anyone  suffer.  In  answer  to  a  gentle  "  What  is  it, 
Sir  Lionel  ? "  I  told  her  a  part  of  what  had  been  passing 
through  my  mind  —  I  could  not  tell  her  all.  Her  eyes  fell 
and  it  almost  seemed  to  me  that  she  grew  pale  as  I  talked,  but 
she  did  not  deny  that  it  was  true.  All  that  she  said  was  a  low 
shocked  — "  Sir  Lionel !  " 

At  the  word  the  big  handsome  collie  rose  from  a  rug 
before  the  fireplace  where  he  had  been  lying,  shook  himself  and 
stalked  over  to  his  mistress.  He  was  a  splendid  animal,  but 
he  was  new  at  Broadfields.  I  had  never  seen  him  there  in  the 
old  days.  He  laid  his  slender  muzzle  in  Miss  Desloge's  lap 
and  looked  up  at  her  with  adoring  eyes,  and  presently,  with 
a  dog's  instinct  that  she  needed  comforting,  began  to  lick  her 
face. 

"  Down  Lion ! "  she  exclaimed  hastily,  as  she  put  him  from 
her  with  her  little  hand.  But  she  had  not  meant  to  call  his 
name,  and  she  looked  up  at  me  with  a  startled  glance  and  a 
quick  rush  of  color  to  the  face  I  had  thought  pale  a  moment 
before.  All  my  depression  and  despair  were  gone  in  a  flash, 
and  such  a  wave  of  tenderness  swept  over  me  for  the  little 


THE  ADORABLE  MISS  LIVINGSTON  433 

Rosie  of  boyhood  days  as  quite  blurred,  for  a  moment,  the  image 
of  Mademoiselle  Desloge. 

"  You  named  him  Lion ! "  I  cried  exultingly,  seizing  her 
hands  in  mine,  and  drawing  her  toward  me.  "Oh,  Eosie! 
Rosamond!  You  love  ne ! '' 

It  was  a  long  time  afterward  that  I  asked  her  again  — 

"  If  you  loved  me,  and,  as  you  say,  have  always  loved  me, 
why  did  you  run  away  from  New  York  ?  " 

In  broken  sentences  she  answered: 

"  Oh,  I  began  to  be  afraid  Miss  Livingston's  scheme  had 
worked  too  well  —  that  you  loved  the  poor  dependent,  but  per 
haps  you  would  not  love  the  mistress  of  Broadfields.  You 
loved  Mademoiselle  Desloge,  but  perhaps  you  never  would  love 
the  '  red-headed  freckle-faced  baby,'  Rosie  Dufour.  And  — 
then  —  too,  I  thought  that  if  I  went  away  you  would  leave 
New  York  and  come  home  —  Miss  Livingston  thought  so  — 
and  your  father  had  written  me  that  he  was  going  to  write  to 
you  to  come." 

"  My  father  had  written  you !  And  you  two  were  writing 
to  each  other  and  forming  conspiracies  against  me ! " 

She  blushed.  "  Only  that  one  letter.  He  said  he  had  written 
Mr.  Livingston  and  found  out  who  I  was,  and  he  hoped  I  was 
coming  back  to  Broadfields,  and  he  would  write  you  to  come 
home.  But  oh,  Lionel  —  you  were  so  long  in  coming!  And 
now  you  must  go  away  so  soon ! " 

Her  two  little  hands  were  clasped  on  my  breast  holding 
me  away  from  her,  and  her  sweet  brown  eyes,  looking  up  at 
me,  were  full  of  reproach,  and  almost,  I  thought  it  must  be 
tears  that  made  them  shine  so. 

All  the  lingering  love  that  for  years  I  had  unconsciously 
cherished  in  the  depths  of  my  heart  for  my  little  playfellow, 
Rosie ;  all  the  adoring  love  that  for  months  had  held  me  enslaved 
in  turn,  by  hope  and  by  despair  for  Mademoiselle  Desloge,  Miss 
Livingston's  beautiful  companion,  downtrodden,  persecuted  by 
a  tyrannical  mistress;  all  the  wonderful  love  for  this  glorious 
Rosamond,  mistress  of  Broadfields,  that,  for  the  last  hour,  had 
28 


434  MISS  LIVINGSTON'S  COMPANION 

bewildered   and   intoxicated  me,   swept   over   me   in   an   over 
whelming  flood. 

"Kose  of  the  "World,"  I  whispered  reverently,  and  hardly 
dared  to  kiss  away  the  tears  that  now  were  brimming  those 
beautiful  eyes,  ready  to  fall. 


The  butler,  the  same  fine  old  Wellston  that  had  petted  and 
scolded  Eosie  and  me  as  children,  was  uttering  a  warning  cough 
to  precede  his  entrance.  Close  at  his  heels  were  two  visitors 
and  they  found  us  each  decorously  seated  on  chair  and  sofa. 

It  was  to  me  my  father  made  his  apology,  not  to  Eosamond. 

"You  must  excuse  my  coming,  Lionel.  I  couldn't  wait  to 
find  out  what  you  thought  of  the  mistress  of  Broadfields." 

And  as  he  spoke,  he  took  Eosamond's  hand  and  held  it  in  his. 

"  Me  too,  Sir  Lionel,"  said  Captain  Skinner  in  his  Yankee 
drawl  and  with  his  honest  Yankee  smile.  "  I  calkelate  to  go 
up  to  Lunnon  this  arternoon  with  the  caravan  of  goods  from 
the  Sea  Gull,  and  I  had  to  see  how  you  took  it,  fust." 

"  You  too ! "  I  said,  as  I  grasped  the  captain's  sinewy  hand. 
"  Now,  Eosamond,  all  we  need  to  make  the  circle  of  conspira 
tors  complete  is  to  send  an  invitation  to  Kemble  and  the 
'  adorable  Miss  Livingston '  to  come  to  Clover  Combe  on  their 
wedding  trip." 


THE  END 


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